Fire Touched
by Kurohane Ookami
Summary: Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. M for language and theme.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Wheeeeee….Crossover time, folks! Mostly because I need things to write and my phone happens to have many unfinished plots and things stored on it. Which I am now dredging up and completely ignoring my other fics in favor of starting. Because that's just what I do, damnit.**

 **But heeeeyy, come along for the ride?**

 **Onwards!**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

Rain pattered down against the soft grey concrete, droplets rebounding from the sheer force of the gravity propelling it. The surrounding greenery likewise appeared a mournful shade of charcoal thanks to the mottled grey and black sky above.

Few figures briskly made their way through the torrent, even fewer at a pace less than a slow jog. Only one seemed to be unconcerned about the weather- a raven haired young woman with a pastel blue umbrella shielding her from the majority of the watery onslaught.

Kagome Higurashi seemed almost unaware of the fact that it was raining- rather, she was almost entirely focused on the handful of textbooks cradled to her chest and the other several tucked away neatly in her dark brown messenger bag. Her gumboots swished through the deceptively shallow puddles, her formfitting jeans only slightly damp from the water being flicked up the backs of her thighs, and her rain-jacket keeping the rest of the moisture from fully penetrating her small bubble of warmth.

The young woman's thoughts were tranquil- the sound of the rain around her was soothing. In all honesty, ever since returning from the past and the well sealing itself, the rain had become something of a fond memory. Every time it rained, she could recall any number of brief moments that she still clung to. She and Sango tending a fire beneath a thick canopy of trees, the occasional drop of rainwater managing to fall down onto someone's head. Of nights spent in shallow caves with the members of their little mismatched group, usually huddled together in a mess of hair, furs and blankets.

Kagome had long since come to accept the fact that there was no way back to those days. It had taken a while, but now she could smile whenever she remembered her friends of the past. Her miko abilities were still within her, but the times that she needed them were in the past now as well. The same said for any of her weapons training- archery in particular was something that she couldn't find a use for, but she did manage to fit time into her schedule to practice anyway. Despite her lack of skill compared to Kikyo, Kagome liked to think she could at least hit something every time she loosed an arrow. It was a far gain in skill compared to the first days when she barely knew how to hold a bow, let alone loose an arrow.

Since returning to her own time, Kagome had turned to her studies as a way to cope with the sudden loss of everyone she had known. Even the ever stoic and cool Sesshoumaru was considered among the many people and youkai she knew. Despite his initial distaste and- dare she say it- disgust- at her presence among the humans and halflings, the inu-youkai had come to consider the woman as a part of his pack. After all, Inuyasha was still pack, even after the many offenses he'd committed against his family. Apparently, given Inuyasha's attempts at "courting" in the beginning of their long and later platonic relationship, this somehow meant that she had become something of a sister to the inu-youkai's House.

If she had known sooner than that final battle, perhaps she could have thanked Sesshoumaru for his kindness and willingness to bring her into his pack, despite her human heritage.

But there was none of that. Now, Kagome was beginning university studies, hoping to attain her goal of a history professor. Hence the many textbooks she was bringing home to the shrine. Her only class of the day had let out early so that the students would be able to collect reading material for the paper that would be due in several weeks. The topics were of the students choice, so it would provide some variety to a paper that could easily grow monotonous to read twenty times over as the professor.

Glancing both ways down the street, the raven haired woman crossed and began her easy trek up the stairs to the shrine. Currently, she was the only one tending to the place- the rest of her family had taken a trip to visit a family friend for a couple of weeks, and given that Kagome was still in the first couple of months of her semester, she had decided that it would be for the best if she remained behind to focus on her schooling.

 _If only I had thought that way back then._ She thought in amusement as she unlocked the shrine gate, slipping into the courtyard and closing the large door behind her. _Maybe I could have finished school a year early and stayed in the past._

She couldn't help the snort of laughter that snuck past her lips at that particular thought. In a perfect world, perhaps that would have been the case. But at the time, she had been young and much more impulsive than she was now. She was tempered by experience and memories of a war that had occurred in history hundreds of years ago but only happened to her a handful ago.

The front door was welcoming as she reached it, and as she pulled out the house key she heard the mournful mewl of Buyo from just inside the door. The silly creature was quite insistent that he be let outside, but Kagome knew as soon as he saw the weather he would be changing his tune.

Sure enough, the moment the door opened Buyo took off in the opposite direction of the outdoors, making a beeline for the couch.

"I know you better than you think, silly cat." She called after him, folding up her umbrella and shaking it just outside the door before hanging it on the provided stand. Peeling off her gumboots with an experienced twist of her ankle, she continued to the kitchen, unloading the textbooks onto the table before pulling off her jacket and returning to the entryway to hang it up next to the umbrella. On her return back to the kitchen, however, there was a startled hiss from the living room, followed by Buyo's poofed up form as the cat raced in the opposite direction of whatever had startled him.

Almost immediately after, the hair on the back of the young woman's neck prickled.

Not a good sign.

Now wary, Kagome slowly moved back towards the hall, where her bow had been hung. It was an ornament now, considering it was from the past and that she had since upgraded to a modern age bow, but at the moment it was her best shot.

She inhaled quietly- exhaled. Her ears were straining for any sound that would signal an intruder, but there was nothing. Rather than reassure her, it only made her worry grow.

Then-

The slightest shift of a foot against the carpet.

She lunged for the bow, grabbing it and whirling into a defensive position.

No one had been behind her.

"If I had been trying, you would be dead, miko."

Kagome's mouth parted at the monotone words, spoken softly from right behind her left ear. As if they were some kind of trigger, the raven haired woman realized that a deadly sharp claw was pressed against the side of her neck, and that the faintest scent of cherry blossom hung in the air.

She swallowed heavily, barely daring to believe it, before she blinked and slowly turned, meeting the intruder's molten gold gaze.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." She whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh holy crap, I was not expecting such an enthusiastic response from all of you incredible folks. I must say that I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I tried because I didn't want to disappoint you guys. Also, I tried to keep Sesshoumaru in character but I think he's a little OOC in some places. Please let me know how I did!**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

She should have known that given a youkai's lifespan, Sesshoumaru would still be alive in her time. However, it was still a rather startling discovery when he showed up out of nowhere and was presented with an opportunity to end her life. One that he had, apparently, been prepared to take.

In all reality, she probably should have seen that one coming.

What she didn't understand was why he had chosen to find her. She'd been returned to her own time several years ago, and while she had been reluctantly accepted into Sesshoumaru's pack, they hadn't been what one would call close. Considering that he'd kept attempting (and almost succeeding most of the time) to kill Inuyasha in many violent ways, Kagome hadn't gotten the opportunity to try and get to know the alpha of the pack- her pack.

Following their short confrontation in the hall, Kagome had invited him into the house and begun busying herself with making tea. She had planned on doing so despite the new twist she found herself processing, considering that she had a long night of homework to work through, but with Sesshoumaru's sudden appearance she didn't think she would be getting much done tonight at all.

She snuck a glance at the youkai seated at her table- he hadn't changed as much as she thought he might. While his hair was pulled back into a low tail, it was still as long as it had been in the past. The mysterious tattoos and large fluffy apparel were now gone as well. But the kimono that he'd worn was still worn, along with the hakama. He was, for lack of a better term, stunning.

"Is there a reason you are watching me, miko?"

Kagome started, guiltily turning away and pulling the kettle off the stove. Her cheeks were heated- was that embarrassment that caused that?

"I am merely curious, Sesshoumaru-sama." She returned quietly. "Why have you chosen now to approach me?"

The youkai didn't bat an eye at the question. Rather, Sesshoumaru looked as though he'd been expecting that question. Knowing what she did about him, the white haired inu probably had. The answer he replied with, however, was right out of left field.

"You are pack." He stated softly. "It is time I begin to act like it."

"That doesn't really seem to match up with whatever just happened in the hallway." Kagome pointed out, a little unnerved by his answer. It seemed almost a little too out of character for Sesshoumaru.

 _Then again, it has been five hundred years for him._ Kagome mused. _That's a lot of time to grow up…or mature._

"It is not an uncommon occurrence for youkai to... greet one another in such a manner."

Kagome raised a brow slightly, examining Sesshoumaru's features. He was stoic, yes. Perhaps a little too emotionless, but he appeared to be- for the most part- the same youkai she'd met in the past. Except not at the same time. He was almost…softer? No. That wasn't it.

"I'm not youkai though." She said.

"As much as I am loathe to admit…you are more like youkai than ningen. Perhaps the only thing to be considered a positive that came from your lingering with the hanyou." Sesshoumaru returned coolly. Kagome could have sworn that the corner of his lip curled slightly as he spoke those words- as to where the disgust was directed, she didn't know.

"I don't follow." The raven haired woman replied. "Inuyasha was only half youkai, and even then, he acted the least like a youkai. Unless you think I picked it up from somewhere…else…"

Kagome trailed off as she realized what he was suggesting.

"Wait- you think I picked up youkai habits from _Shippo?"_

The white haired inu merely remained silent, a curiously amused look on his carefully neutral face.

"An incorrigible creature nowadays, but indeed." He finally stated, taking a sip of the tea that had been cooling in front of him. He tilted his head to one side as he studied the mug in his hand for a moment before nodding. "This tea is satisfactory."

The latter had been lost on Kagome- she was still reeling from the newest shell that had been dropped on her. Shippo was alive too? Her adopted kit had been wounded just before she had been thrust forward in time, and she had always feared the worst had happened.

"Shippo's here too? Who else is still alive?"

"The wolf and his spawn. Their pack. Others, though they have since dispersed elsewhere in the world."

Kagome took a seat across from the male, a soft smile seeking its way onto her lips. All this time, and now they were just here. In her time, no less. To them, however, it had been hundreds of years. They had continued to live and grow without her while she had only spent a handful of years without their presence in her life.

"Is there something funny, miko?" Sesshoumaru inquired blandly, taking another delicate sip of his tea.

"All of this, I guess." She shrugged in return. "You, here. Shippo alive. I don't know. I never thought I would see anyone from then here, but I should have realized that youkai live much longer than humans do. I guess if I were still the same person I was then, I'd be angry at all of this. Just showing up and telling me that you've decided to accept me as a pack member, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around that because the last time I saw you we were in the middle of an all our _war_ with Naraku…"

"Hn."

Kagome blinked before clearing her throat and composing herself once more, shrugging deeper into her sweater as she met Sesshoumaru's gaze.

"So what happens now?"

"Provided that you have accepted the pack role, I will become your benefactor. Your schooling will be paid for by myself and any program you desire to enter will be given to you as an independent study that can be completed from outside the classroom. Following your graduation, you would begin your studies as an heir to the House of the West. You would receive a monthly allowance to do what you wish, and finally, it would be announced publically to the council that you would be a member of my pack. Post that announcement, you would begin displaying the crest of the House of the West on your person at all times for your own protection."

The list was spoken calmly- Kagome listened with as open a mind as she could manage given the circumstances. She was uncertain. Part of her was still a little wary of the youkai seated so closely to her, despite everything he had done for her in the past. But at the same time…some part of her couldn't help but suspect that he had taken Shippo in after she'd disappeared, raising him as his own.

"How quickly would my courses go if I were to do it online?" she asked after a long moment.

"Depending on how quickly your assignments are completed, it could take as little as three months."

"And what would the other studies include?"

"Martial arts, linguistics, politics. Enough to hold your own against any member of the council should they attempt to outsmart you or attack you outright."

"And how would this affect my family? I'm not about to just leave them in danger if I agree to this."

Her tone was mild, but even Sesshoumaru could tell that there was a silent threat lingering there. Admirable, given her position. It had been one of the reasons that he had originally considered taking her into his pack. She was seemingly unafraid of the youkai that had surrounded her, instead tolerating none of their politics in a manner not unlike a member of the House of the West. Apparently, his fool of a half-brother had instilled at least some mannerism of their species into the human.

His brow furrowed slightly in thought as he studied the woman in front of him now. She was still the same, but she was more matured. Something had changed her over time. And, evidently, it wasn't all for the bad.

"The rest of your family would be put under my protection as well." He finally stated. "Visitation would be allowed during your schooling. Once the other studies began, it would be too difficult to visit until post completion."

"But I would be allowed to see them."

"Hn." He inclined his head.

Silence fell upon the both of them for several minutes as Kagome weighed out the pros and cons to truly accepting Sesshoumaru's offer. It was a very generous offer- more than she would have expected to have been offered to her. However, it was also something that was doable. She could finish her schooling at home- though given her nature when it came to assignments she was fairly confident her schooling could be finished in a month or so. Enough time to tell her mother that she was accepting Sesshoumaru's offer to be fully accepted into his pack and what that entailed for the rest of her family.

"I…believe I'd like to accept your offer, Sesshoumaru-sama." She finally offered quietly.

He nodded once, gold eyes watching her carefully.

"Very well. Expect your school to contact you within the several days."

With that, the inu vanished, graceful as he had always been. Kagome was left with the familiar feeling of emotion in her chest as he did. It was almost like she was back in the past- except that she wasn't. She hadn't for a long time.

But that didn't mean that the past couldn't catch up to her.

-;-

True to his word, Sesshoumaru took care of all the paperwork needed to arrange for her schooling to be done online. She merely needed to complete her assignments and either email them to her professors or drop them off at the campus. In the span of three days, Kagome was in possession of all of the assignments needed for her to graduate at the end of the year. Lucky for her that the specific program that she was in was compressed into a year-long program anyway. Otherwise she would no doubt be spending two or more years trying to keep her head above the water.

Mama, Gramps and Souta had all returned home a couple of days following her encounter with Sesshoumaru. Naturally, Gramps had immediately begun attempting to ward the shrine to keep the "demonic presence" out, while Mama and Souta merely rolled their eyes and tried to rein in the eccentric old man before he could hurt himself in his antics.

Surprisingly, other than that, breaking the news to her mother wasn't as difficult as Kagome had thought it might have been. Given that she'd allowed her daughter to go journeying through the past and went without seeing her for weeks at a time, this new proposed arrangement was a walk in the park in comparison.

This left the raven haired woman in the position that she'd been in for the last three weeks- furiously flying through her assignments with a ruthless thoroughness that made her mother smile fondly in memory of her own school days. Already, Kagome had completed over half of the assignments she was given, and following each assignment, she continued to research and learn more about the topics she was writing papers for.

In the back of her mind, always, was the thought of seeing Sesshoumaru again. He hadn't left her a means to contact him again after leaving, but she had a feeling he was still keeping a close watch on her. It was part of what fueled her these days- that and seeing her Shippo again. She always wondered how much he'd changed since she'd seen him last.

Groaning, she allowed her forehead to make contact with her desk, her current task of writing a paper comparing Egyptian and Chinese pyramids and burial rituals forgotten. Her head was beginning to hurt- this was her second paper she needed to write today, thanks to her surprisingly heavy course load. Despite being on her own for these assignments, Kagome still wanted to make sure that she had them all completed and polished before the end of the week. At this rate, she would be done her program by the end of the week.

"Why am I even trying to finish all of this in a month?" she muttered to herself, pushing her hair back from her face as she stared at the screen of her laptop. Sadly, there didn't seem to be any answer coming to mind. There was simply a blind drive to get herself there in the shortest amount of time possible.

"Perhaps to prove me wrong."

Kagome squealed in surprise, grabbing the closest thing to her and blindly throwing it at the speaker.

Sesshoumaru barely quirked a brow as he shifted, clawed hand catching the small dictionary that she'd thrown at him and examining the cover.

"You are learning English."

"Trying to." She grumbled. "In between writing my papers. I've been taking a course over video conferencing."

At this point, she didn't have the energy to really be surprised that he'd shown up again. Sure, she could be as irritable as she liked about his disappearing act, but it wasn't really going to change anything. He was an inu- she knew enough about him to know that he did what he pleased.

"Hn. It is a good start. We will begin speaking in English whenever we see one another." Sesshoumaru said, a trace of approval in his tone as he seamlessly switched from one language to another.

"Wha-?" Kagome protested, only to be silenced by a flick of the inu's claw. Narrowing her eyes at him, she huffed before inhaling.

"Fine." She agreed, the other language still unfamiliar on her tongue.

Sesshoumaru glanced around her room for a moment before seating himself on the edge of her bed.

 _Is there anything he does that doesn't look so damn graceful all the time?_ The raven haired woman wondered to herself as the pair studied one another. _Probably not. He's always been like that…as much as I can remember, anyway._

"You are close to finishing your studies here."

The sound of his voice startled her out of her reverie, and she sighed as she began pulling her hair up into a tail.

"I think so. I've got most of the harder stuff done. Now it's just getting the midterm and final exams done and finishing my English tutoring and I think I'll be done my program." She shrugged, sliding an elastic off her wrist and neatly pinning her hair back.

"A week and a half then."

"Until what? I'm done? Probably."

"Until you leave Japan."

 _Hold on a second here._

"What?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh jam on toast, I can't believe the positive feedback from all you readers! I will admit to squealing and grinning like a kid on Christmas and attempting to figure out a way to give back- and then I realized I could just post another chapter. But that would make too much sense, wouldn't it?**

 **I'd also like to mention now that I'll be very busy over the next couple of weeks so you may not get an update until at least the 13** **th** **, but I will most certainly do my best to update the first day that I can.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

Kagome's last week in Japan flew by, much to her chagrin. Sesshoumaru stuck around this time, ensuring that her English improved over the several days she had until she left the country. Something that she was, admittedly, still a little bit irritated at him for. But she was more accepting of it than she would have been a handful of years ago- something which she very much recognized and thanked whichever deity had helped her out in that department.

 _This is what you get these days, Kagome._ She silently lamented as she packed her bag. She had been advised that two bags would be the maximum to take with her, though it wasn't advice so much as a well concealed demand. _The past catches up to you, and it comes in the form of the brother of the guy you used to have a thing for before he ran off and went to Hell with a dead girl._

Inuyasha, according to Sesshoumaru, had been dragged to Hell with "the undead miko with little ability" shortly after her disappearance. Kagome thought she should feel _something_ about that, given that she had known him fairly well, but nothing came to the forefront when she thought of him. Probably because she'd had a feeling that it would end like that. Inuyasha had always been in love with Kikyo. Nothing she did could have changed that.

So here she was, the day before she was supposed to be leaving to go somewhere- Sesshoumaru had been vague on the details, but America was what she'd gathered from his subtle hints. Though she wouldn't call them hints- the inu was irritatingly vague and seemed to be enjoying her growing exasperation with him.

Her mother, bless her heart, had taken everything well enough so far. She was a saint in disguise, no doubt about it. She'd also seemed to take a shine to Sesshoumaru for kami knew what reason.

The single thing that would really make all of this better would be if she could see Shippo. How he'd grown, if at all. If he even remembered her all these years later.

Kagome sighed. All of this thinking and no action wasn't going to get her anywhere. She was getting on that plane tomorrow come hell or high water, and she was just going to have to survive whatever Sesshoumaru had planned for her.

Hopefully she would actually survive.

-;-

Natasha Romanoff was not pleased.

Not in the slightest.

He could tell in the subtle shift of her shoulders, the crossed arms with the left arm over the right, the set of her jaw, and the stare that threatened the lives of anyone who happened to be unfortunate enough to wander past her.

Granted, he could also understand why she wasn't happy.

He was somewhere in the neutral grey area, himself.

Clint Barton shook his head at his partner's antics. She had been like this all morning. Pissed off, ready to take something on and preferably kill it. Honestly, the blond thought to himself, it was probably a good thing he'd gotten up before she had this morning. Otherwise there probably would have been a much stronger chance of him being strangled in his sleep.

 _Oh, but what a way to go…_ that tiny, sadistic part of his mind sighed dreamily. He frowned, locking down that thought and hurling it as deep into his mind as he possibly could. Those instincts would get him nowhere now. Now was the time that he needed to keep a sharper eye than usual on his temperamental- Lord help him if she ever heard him say it- mate.

He'd been contacted about two weeks ago by one of his close friends. Well, perhaps friend wasn't entirely accurate. More like the man who had basically reared him ever since he'd found him floundering in the sudden appearance of some very specific… _abilities_. And after learning of his history, well…the damn creature had adopted him into his pack. Since then, he'd been something of a family member to the stoic demon and his rambunctious and overly friendly charge. Kitsune, they were called in Japanese lore.

On occasion, he was called on to assist in taking care of certain matters that only one of his particular skill-set were capable of handling. Hell, Natasha was well aware of most of this, but not quite all of it. She knew that Sesshoumaru was very old, very powerful, and not one to take lightly. She also knew about the whole inu thing. Obviously she knew that he was different than the average human being, too. It was kind of hard to prevent a couple of those traits from rearing their ugly heads once in a while, after all.

What she didn't know, and wouldn't know, ever, if he had any say of it, was that she was his mate.

Damn those instincts.

She also didn't know who this new heir to the House of the West was. Neither did Clint, really. All he knew was that the inu-youkai was shipping her over to the States to be trained by he and Natasha in order to protect herself once she publically became known as his heir. And they were supposed to hold nothing back. Even told them that if she were to die under their watch, that she wasn't a suitable match for the House of the West. A little harsh sounding to Clint, but Natasha was all over it. The signs were there, even if she wouldn't actually admit it out loud. She'd been thinking of the Red Room since then, growing more and more irritable until she was now the silent, rage-filled demoness with the power to kill you with nothing more than the strength of her thighs.

So here they were, sitting at the private landing strip, waiting for the plane to touch down. Carrying a completely unfamiliar mission to them. This wasn't like their normal jobs- there was no intel provided, no image, nothing. Only a gender and a time to meet the jet at this isolated and very private landing strip.

Luckily for them, Fury was out of assignments for them- and even if he wasn't, he was about to be. The Black Widow and Hawkeye both knew how far the youkai's influence reached, and it was a large space that it covered.

"I say three days." Natasha stated coolly as the familiar shape of a plane appeared at the end of the runway.

"A week." He returned, recognizing the bet for what it was. "May as well pretend to have faith."

"One thousand."

"Done."

That said and done with, the pair returned to silence, the black SUV that they usually rode in behind them. The heat was rather pleasant on the back of Clint's neck- almost therapeutic, but he refused to allow himself to truly enjoy it. Not now, with all of this happening. He wanted to be at the top of his game and ready for anything. For all they knew, they were getting another youkai on their hands.

Wouldn't that be fun.

Having been out on several missions that had been caused by youkai in the past, Clint knew full well that they were usually cocky, overly smug about everything and horrifyingly rich. All things that tended to grind on the blonds nerves like nothing else could.

The next handful of minutes dragged by painfully slowly as the jet came closer and closer, before finally coming to a halt a solid fifty feet away. The engine died, the rumbling scream of the metal beast falling silent, and then it was merely a matter of playing the waiting game.

However, neither of the assassins could have pegged who actually emerged from the plane once the stairs were out and all was said and done.

She wasn't at all what Clint was expecting. A young, raven haired woman descended the ramp, maybe at most in her early twenties. Blue eyes glanced over them carefully as she adjusted a startlingly large backpack across her shoulder and picked up the small suitcase that resembled a purse more than anything else. Her hair was pulled back in a relaxed tail, her clothes were simple- a pair of worn out jeans and a formfitting v-neck…

Basically the opposite of everything he'd been thinking.

Something about the young woman had triggered something in Natasha as well- the redhead was rigid, every muscle in her body tense. Clint didn't notice why until she was close enough that his more primal half managed to get a whiff of her, and then it made sense.

Sesshoumaru's heir was a freaking _miko_. A priestess. And a fairly powerful one at that.

 _Well, no time like the present to make new friends…_ he thought dryly to himself, uncrossing his arms and shifting forward to meet their new trainee.

"You must be the heir." He stated bluntly, easily transitioning to Japanese, quirking a brow and moving to offer a hand to the young woman.

"Oh- uh, yes. Higurashi Kagome." The woman replied, blinking as she realized he spoke her language.

"Clint Barton. This is my partner, Natasha Romanoff." Clint replied, refusing to allow himself a grimace as something in him protested the young woman accepting his handshake.

"It's nice to meet you." Kagome replied carefully in English, accent minimal. "I've been learning English thanks to Sesshoumaru-sama, but I'm afraid I'm still learning."

"Hn." Natasha replied sharply, turning on her heel and getting into the vehicle. Clint mentally rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"You'll learn it as we go." He offered as he snagged the smaller of Kagome's bags and opened the back door, sliding it in before gesturing she do the same.

Kagome did just that, slinging the bag onto the seat and following it, the door closing firmly behind her as soon as all of her limbs were out of the way. A moment later and Clint got in the passenger seat, and Natasha revved the engine and took off.

Silence followed, and it was an uneasy one. Clint glanced over at Natasha, wondering what was wrong with her. Obviously she had been able to sense that Kagome was a miko- probably due to the fact that she was his mate- but what else was lost on him. There were a few things that came to mind, but he wasn't about to start airing their dirty laundry in front of a complete stranger.

"So you're a miko." He opted instead, immediately regretting every decision in his life.

"And you're a youkai. Or hanyou. I can't quite tell." She returned easily, looking out the window at the tall buildings flashing by.

Okay, so that approach didn't work.

"I'm both, I suppose. Descended from one." He commented dryly. Give the girl something to go on, at least. As to why, he didn't know, but he could almost feel Natasha's searing glare burning into the side of his head.

"Makes sense." Kagome nodded, lips pursed in thought as she fell silent again.

Another twenty minutes passed before Natasha pulled into the underground garage that was part of their building. Not actually theirs, but Fury allowed them to borrow it on occasion. It wasn't overly large, maybe seven stories, but it was theirs and had everything that the pair needed to keep themselves busy during their downtime. A gym, an archery ranch, a munitions room or several, a couple floors of living space, and a lobby. What wasn't on the map, however, was the underground training facility, complete with tunnels and ten thousand square feet of jungle gym-esque equipment and pain.

And starting first thing in the morning, it was going to be Kagome's hell for as long as it took to turn her into a living weapon.

-;-

Kagome wasn't an idiot. She knew that there was something about the pair sitting in the front seats of the vehicle. She could tell enough to know that he- Clint, was youkai of some form, and that she- Natasha, was something much more dangerous. She had also deducted from the callouses on Clint's fingers that he was likely someone who worked with his hands a lot. Perhaps knives.

The attempt at conversation was awkward, to say the least, considering that Barton had started with inquiring about her being a miko. Luckily, she was used to awkward. Inuyasha came to mind at that thought.

She hadn't been expecting either of them to be able to speak Japanese though. She probably should have though, knowing Sesshoumaru. She also didn't expect her eyes to droop lower and lower until she fell into a dreamless sleep against the car window, but it happened.

When they arrived at the building, Clint glanced over his shoulder and furrowed his brows in confusion at how easily the young woman had trusted them enough not to kill her as soon as she fell asleep, but it appeared that all sense of normality was going to be thrown out the window for this one.

"So." He offered quietly, looking at Natasha. "You want the kid or the bags?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I have little to say today other than sorry for the delay but here it is! Any mistakes you see are mine, as I decided writing this at 2am was a fantastic idea. Little short, boring stuff, but I had to post something for you guys.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

Natasha Romanoff was a Black Widow- _the_ Black Widow. Any other candidate for the position had been murdered while under the care of the Red Room. The things she'd seen and done in her childhood would make even the toughest war veteran go mad within moments.

But not her.

She had survived, because if nothing else, Natalia Romanova did _not_ die. She was a born and created survivor, rising from the ashes of the little naïve girl she had become and becoming the one to take everything that they had done to her and return it tenfold.

But damned if this new mission wasn't testing each and every nerve.

Black Widow had been ordered to train this girl. But every fibre of Natasha Romanoff, the woman who'd shed herself of Black Widow and was beginning to piece her life back together, rebelled the thought.

Training in the Red Room was defined in unique methods that could only be seen as torture. She hadn't spoken to her mate about her reservations, but given the pace that she was keeping as she struck down the black haired girl before her she was likely to not be given a choice.

Even though said mate continued to think he had her fooled. She knew _exactly_ what their status was.

Kagome lifted herself back to her feet, struggling to hold back her tears of pain. Her body was aching with the wounds that the red haired woman before her had inflicted upon her, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and never move again, but she knew that that would be the exact wrong thing to do.

She knew youkai, and knew them well enough to know that this woman was like-minded enough to be considered one. It also meant that she would have to prove herself to Agent Romanoff before she would be allowed to rest- or continue living.

"Stand."

The word was clipped, accented heavily with a foreign tongue. Tense.

Something was bothering the woman.

Kagome coughed, spitting out a glob of blood and wondering where it had come from. Blinking slowly, she closed her eyes for a moment, weary. The next moment, gentle warmth surrounded her- enough to bring her back to alertness in surprise.

Romanoff, likewise looked faintly surprised- compared to Sesshoumaru, her expressions were much clearer despite the lack of obvious facial cues.

It was a rare thing when Kagome's miko powers rose on their own- she could only recall it happening twice in the past. Both had been to defend her, but now it appeared as though it were simply healing what wounds that she had.

Natasha blinked. This _was_ certainly an unexpected development.

Clint, through the vents above, managed to stifle an instinctive growl that wanted to leave his throat. It very nearly didn't happen, however, given that it startled him enough that he almost choked on it. Despite that, the back of his neck was prickling in a manner not unlike when one of his limbs fell asleep.

That glow surrounding the kid was the source of the problem, too. Miko aura, healing power, whatever it was. The strain of youkai DNA that had been passed down to him was making a fuss over the presence of the miko.

He'd originally been here to keep an eye on Natasha. His mate had been aloof, distant, and very angry. Now he was beginning to understand why.

Natasha flinched as some of Kagome's aura brushed against her, a faint curl of her lip the only sign that it had bothered her at all. Then her hand snapped out, fisting in a mess of dark hair before wrenching her head back.

Kagome hissed, but kept still as the redhead leaned in, eyes lit with the promise of pain.

"Do that again, and I will kill you." She promised flatly before letting go and turning away. "We're done. Get out of my sight."

Kagome didn't even flinch at the words- something that Natasha had to give the girl credit for. It also made her wonder what this girl had been through to make her so resilient. So calm despite her circumstance.

Even after the girl had limped away- her healing had not been complete, after all- Natasha remained deep within her thoughts.

There was too much purity within the heart she had been ordered to train, to beat down into submission before she could be molded into what her alpha had commanded.

 _No,_ her mind corrected. _What your mate's alpha has commanded._

The thought had barely registered before a hand touched her shoulder.

Blinking, she turned and did nothing, only allowed Clint's fingers to linger upon her shoulder for another moment before pulling away. Despite being the mate of a hawk, she was still as of yet unused to the constant affection and the preening. Though she knew Clint would deny it with all his might if ever the word were to be used. It sounded too much like the youkai that his ancestors had been- few as they were, the youkai blood was still strong in his bloodline.

"You're trying to stay away from her."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied in clipped Russian, the tone enough to tell him that she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Nat." he tried again, softer.

"What would you have me do. I am bound through you to the alpha." She snapped back. "He gave us both orders- orders that we have no choice but to obey."

Clint said nothing at that. He knew that there was little he could currently do to reassure his mate without receiving heavy damage.

"What they did to me…he wants me to do to her." Natasha finally whispered. "Become a monster in the guise of a human."

"And?"

"I will obey the alpha. She is yours once I am finished."

And just like that, Black Widow had returned. Her emotions were once again stamped out, pushed to the furthest corner of her mind to deal with later.

"I know." He nodded, leaving it alone as Natasha turned on her heel and left the underground facility. Giving the blood stained floor a quick glance, the archer quickly followed.

-;-

"You gave her to the scary assassin? Really, Sesshou?"

A slender white brow quirked at the bold question, amber gaze flicking up to meet bright green. If it were anyone else who dared speak to him in such a manner, they would no doubt find themselves without a limb. Or beheaded. Whichever suited the occasion.

However, and rather unfortunately, this was neither of the above, and given his… _status_ …with the other youkai, he couldn't very well just take off his head without the miko getting wind of it.

"Hn." He returned, gaze once again firmly on the scroll in his clawed fingers.

"Oh, come on. You know what they'll do to her. I still have a hole in my tail that isn't healed and it's been three years."

"Enough, pup." Sesshoumaru commanded.

The redheaded male's jaw snapped shut audibly, and green eyes flashed for a moment before he stuck his tongue out childishly.

He was _not_ a pup. Not when he looked as though he were a man in his twenties and in possession of three elegant tails that trailed behind him idly.

"I still have a point." He muttered, sulking. "Mama may be strong, but against those two I don't know."

"She will survive it. And she will be stronger because of it." Sesshoumaru stated.

"But at what cost? She might not even be Kagome anymore." Shippo pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his chin challengingly. "Don't forget the reason you wanted her to become your successor, alpha."

Sesshoumaru growled shortly, enough to warn the pup that he was not in the mood to have this conversation. Shippo did nothing other than lower his face and bare his throat in a sign of submission. Rebellious in the sense that his expression was as blank as a canvas but his eyes were flashing dangerously. Sometimes, it was damn near impossible putting up with his alpha. Sesshoumaru tended to care little for the welfare of others, despite his definite improvements in comparison to how he'd been when he was a kit.

This was one such instance.

He seemed to have the utmost confidence that Kagome was going to pull out and be the exact same person she had been before being shipped off to America. But even Shippo could guess that it was unlikely. He knew Barton and Romanoff, knew that they were capable of. They were dangerous because of the blend of human and hawk instincts they shared, intentional or otherwise.

"Was that all you wished to discuss with me, pup, or would you have me bring back the miko as well." Sesshoumaru drawled, rolling the scroll in his claws and placing it delicately on the small table in front of him.

"That's all, alpha." He sighed in return, ears pinning themselves to the side of his head as he retreated from the room. Obviously there was little he could do about the situation, but he wished that he could have at least known about it right off the bat instead of being told after his return from an ambassadors meeting in India. That was the single thing that bothered him about the entire situation. That Sesshoumaru had sought out his mother without informing him of the decision beforehand.

Stupid, irritating alpha.

However, he couldn't deny that Sesshoumaru had taken him in despite his lack of heritage, of a family. He was even a species that inu were known to kill on site at one time in history.

Sighing, Shippo continued his path through the expansive home, seeking out his own rooms.

He needed some time to process this newest development.

-;-

Kagome hissed as the hot water hit her tender skin.

Her hands were already braced against the wall of the shower, and she bent her head down in an attempt to keep herself from crying out.

Every inch of her was in pain. The trek up to her room from the underground facility had taken a lot out of her, and it was all she had left in her to strip and slowly heave herself into the shower. Where she was now more than awake once again due to the sharp pain of her injuries.

She _could_ do this. She could.

But here she was three days in and already she was questioning what she'd gotten herself into. Or rather, questioning what _Sesshoumaru_ had gotten her into.

"You can do this." She whispered. "You can do this."

She closed her eyes, inhaled the steamy air, centered herself. She'd been through things others couldn't imagine. She had been kidnapped, poisoned, suffocated and stabbed. If she could not make herself live through this, then Sesshoumaru had been wrong about her. She would have disappointed him in a way that no one else could understand.

All she needed was a chance to prove herself. That was it. But she doubted it would happen.

The dark haired woman went about finishing cleaning herself up, trying to ignore that thought, before carefully stepping out of the shower and grabbing her towel. At the moment her sore muscles were relaxed by the heat of the water, but given ten minutes she knew she was going to be cramping and uncomfortable once again.

Entering the Spartan bedroom she now called her residence for the time being, she recognized the prickle at the back of her neck and stiffened. The next moment, she ducked, narrowly avoiding having her neck snapped. Whirling, she blocked the next blow with the towel, wrapping it around one hand and whipping it out defensively. Romanoff's cool eyes studied her. She'd thought the girl would stand a chance should she attack unexpectedly. It looked as though she was proven correct, now.

She tried not to notice several large, thick scars that criss-crossed across her sides and one leg, no doubt continuing around to her back.

 _Control._ She reminded herself. She needed to keep herself in control. No Natasha Romanoff, only Black Widow. But it appeared even now that her control was cracking.

 _It's her._ She realized suddenly. _She is me._

Just as quickly as she'd entered the room, she left once again, leaving Kagome wondering if this was going to be her life while with the two assassins.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! School and work start up for me in a few days, so this may be the last chapter you get for a little while. I'm still going to do my best to update regularly, but I can't promise anything. College stinks.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

Several more days passed.

With each day, Kagome felt more and more of her self-control spiral down the drain. She wasn't a complete imbecile- she knew that Romanoff didn't know how to deal with her in any other way than what she was doing now. But she didn't dare voice those thoughts.

Not until a week went by.

Clint would forever remember the incident as one to go down in history books, and later look back on the incident fondly. At the time, however…

Not so much.

It was a…Wednesday?

Yes, a Wednesday.

Bright and early at seven in the morning, Kagome was awake and already getting changed for the long day ahead when Romanoff entered the room, bucket of ice water at the ready. At not seeing Kagome in bed- where she had probably expected her to be, given the dark haired woman's rearranged schedule, she said nothing, only turned and left the room again, bucket in hand.

It was hard for Kagome to really get a sense of the other woman. Sure, she spent seven or eight hours a day "sparring"- getting the tar beat out of her- but during that time, the redhead was nearly silent, only occasionally snapping something at her or muttering in Russian.

She was dodging blows the best she could, but a heavy hit from above knocked her to the ground and she lay there for a moment, her frustration growing. This was all that happened, day in and day out, and she was getting damned tired of it.

"Get up."

Romanoff stared down at her with an unreadable expression, stature stiff.

Kagome felt her lip curl back.

"No."

A low rumble from the woman's throat let her know that it was not what she wanted to hear.

"I said _get_ _up_."

"And I said _no_." Kagome snapped back, pushing herself to her feet and standing her ground.

A knife appeared in the redheaded woman's fingers, and Kagome steeled herself for the blow. But before the blade could touch her, a solid wall of pink miko power erupted between them.

" _Enough_." Kagome snarled. "You continue to treat me like a slave when I am not one. I am not a fool! Can you not see that we are going nowhere while you continue to use me as a method to rid yourself of your pain?"

Natasha growled at the clear rebellion she could see in the other woman's eyes. But then all at once, she could see herself standing before her, back when she was a little girl and rebelling against her own captors in the Red Room.

" _No!" she screamed back at the blank faced woman that was staring down at her. "I won't!"_

" _Natalia-"_

" _NO! I won't kill them!" she shrieked back, cringing away from the knife held towards her. They wanted her to kill the others- they were the closest she had ever had to friends- family, even._

" _You do this or we will." The woman stated, inflectionless._

 _Natalia looked over her shoulder at the other girls- all of them were staring back at her with varying levels of fear in their eyes._

" _I don't want to." She replied, voice shaking._

 _She didn't even see the hand coming until it landed against her cheek, knocking her off her feet._

" _You don't have a choice." The woman snapped. "Now, kill them or we kill everyone."_

" _No."_

 _Things went blurry after that. Everything shifted into reds and greys and black and pain._

 _She had never disobeyed them again once they had finished with her._

Natasha came back to herself and found that she was shaking. She also found that a slender pair of arms that were definitely not Clint's were gently wrapped around her waist, a pale pink ribbon of the miko's power wrapped around both of them.

Kagome's very nature was that of a healer. And she could very much sense the cloud of hurt and pain that surrounded the assassin. She had been able to the moment that she had met the woman on the tarmac. However, it was only now that she sensed she was able to actually do something to help the other woman.

Her first instinct was to bring Romanoff into a gentle embrace. So she did so, feeling a small amount of relief in the back of her mind that the other woman didn't immediately attempt to kill her for doing so. Quietly in Japanese, she murmured encouragement to the other woman, gently rubbing circles in between her shoulders.

Clint, above in the rafters, was beginning to realize that they had underestimated and misunderstood their charge. They were trying to train a miko. Someone who wasn't really meant to belong in the world of death and destruction and chaos like he and Nat did.

Perhaps they needed to find another route to work with the miko rather than continue on the path they were on now. If the miko- Kagome- could find it in herself to comfort Nat while she was so obviously compromised, maybe they could find it in themselves to make her life with them a little more bearable.

-;-

Natasha didn't say anything once she'd composed herself after her relapse, and Kagome didn't ask. And if Clint looked a little troubled when they returned upstairs, no one said anything about it.

The next morning, Kagome woke at her regular early time, dressed herself, and went into the kitchen space, expecting the surprise attack from the ceiling. At encountering nothing, she frowned, checking over her shoulders, before cautiously making herself breakfast.

As soon as she sat down, Kagome noticed the pair of assassins watching her from the large couch in the living space and paused. She wasn't entirely sure what to expect from them, but she did know that she was dealing with some level of youkai, and said nothing.

"We need to discuss your training." Barton stated, eyes studying her carefully.

"Oh?" she inquired quietly, adjusting her hands in her lap.

"It's been made clear since you've arrived that we haven't been training you in a productive way." Barton continued, shifting himself on the couch. Apparently he had been delegated to speak, given Romanoff's look of disinterest. "Starting today, you'll be training with me, then Natasha."

Kagome said nothing, wondering if this had something to do with the incident that had happened the day before. She hadn't thought much of it, assuming that she would be punished for her insubordination. It seemed like the sort of thing that the pair before her would do. But this? Not so much.

"After you're finished, I'll be waiting in the training room." Barton said, the tone of his voice suggesting that the conversation was over. Or rather, the one sided piece that he'd had to say.

She nodded once, turning her attention back to her plate of food and hoping that when she looked up again that they would be gone.

Luckily, they were.

-;-

Kagome arrived down in the training space shortly after her encounter with the pair of assassins. Clint had to hand it to her- he wasn't expecting her to take a relaxed position and wait for him to speak. While it was clear she was curious about the large space behind him that was a glorified climbing gym- except there was zero traditional climbing walls to be seen- she gave him her full attention. It was almost unnerving, being in the same proximity as the miko. The youkai in him shuddered in distaste but settled at the human part of himself locking the feeling in the back of his mind.

"So, I'm pretty sure we got off on the wrong foot." He admitted, very nearly cringing at the sound of his voice. "I'm Agent Clint Barton."

"Higurashi Kagome." She replied, features softening slightly.

Something about that expression made Clint relax, startling him. He wasn't expecting her to be so… _motherly_.

"Alright. Have you got any experience with climbing walls or agility?" he coughed, trying to ignore the very odd protective nature that was suddenly pressing down on him.

She got this _look_. Almost as if she was amused about something.

"You could say that." She offered, glancing back up at the course behind him. "I take it you want me to get through that without getting myself killed?"

"That's the idea." He replied.

She gave him another look before smiling.

"Where do I start?"

-;-

"So, you and the Widow are taking how much time?" Fury inquired, crossing his arms. Luckily he was only on the large computer screen, or Clint may have actually been nervous.

"I can't say, sir. It could be a couple of months for all I know." He shrugged.

Fury's eye twitched.

"Hawkeye is one of the top assassins in the world. So is Black Widow. And you're just going to take a couple of months?" he drawled, the irritation in his tone heavy.

"Sir, this is a personal matter." Clint replied. "I can't give you a time because I don't even know yet. But it involves… _him_."

"Ah, yes. How could I forget the anonymous master of Hawkeye." Came the sarcastic reply. "You have two months tops, agent, or I'll have to write you two off as compromised. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"I expect to see you soon." The man grunted before the screen went blank.

Clint let out a breath of relief. Honestly, he didn't know why Fury had to go all scary on his ass when he didn't have a lot to say on the matter. Fury might be scary, but Sesshoumaru was far worse than anything the one eyed Director could come up with. Given that he was a great deal older and meaner than a rabid dog- no pun intended- there wasn't much that scared him anymore since he'd met the cranky youkai.

The last couple of days had been…strange.

First the thing with Natasha and Kagome, then the training with him, and now he was suddenly feeling some kind of connection to the damn miko.

This was one of those times where he hated being youkai. All of their permanent bonding and crap that he really didn't need to start getting into. So far, he had been doing good. Natasha was the only one who had managed to make it through his thoroughly built walls and become close to him. And he'd been planning to keep it that way.

And yet.

He growled in frustration at the small voice at the back of his head that wasn't all that imaginary and shoved it into a dark corner of his mind.

Let her into his family group?

Not likely.

Nope.

Definitely not happening.

"She's getting to you."

If it had been anyone else, they probably would have an arrow in their skull. But it wasn't.

Natasha was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and watching him carefully. He couldn't tell what was going through her mind- she had been more closed off to him than usual- but there was enough there that they could both study the other.

"That obvious, huh." He snorted, turning.

"Something like that." The redhead shrugged.

"So, what do you think about it." He asked flatly.

There was the slight hesitation.

"I don't know." She finally replied, brows furrowing. "It doesn't matter."

"It does, Nat. You relapsed. You can't lie to me about that."

She growled at him, challenging him.

"What do you want me to say, Clint? That she is what I once was? Naïve, innocent, blind to the world and its flaws? That I remembered-"

The words cut off as a choked sob wrenched itself from her petite form. Before he was even thinking, he was moving, wrapping the woman in a warm embrace that shielded her from the world around them.

"That I remembered what they did to me when I said no?" she whispered brokenly as she hugged him back, accepting the touch for what it was. A rare occurrence, but necessary for her mental health every once in a while.

"It's not a weakness to admit that you're in pain, Nat." he soothed in her ear. "She might be a miko, but she's trying. Yeah, I still think there's a chance she could kill us in our sleep, but Sesshoumaru sent her to us for a reason."

A soft, shaky sigh.

"You're right." She finally nodded. "I'll try."

"That's all I'm asking." He pulled back, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "Now let's go get some rest. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Okay."

He took her hand, and for once she didn't pull away as he led her back to their room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, readers! As I suspected, work and school have been taking up a ton of my time. However, I've finally returned to give you a chapter! With most of my scheduling figured out and an almost steady job, I should be able to spend more time updating Fire Touched. Maybe. Finals are right around the corner too.**

 **Also, I'm really sorry if this seems like it's going slowly. I'm trying to establish a relationship between the trio before I get into the really good stuff.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

 _One Month Later_

"So much for two months."

Clint scowled, staring down his reflection in the mirror like it had somehow done something to offend him. True to being Fury, the man had called he and Natasha in- without knowing that they were training Kagome. Something that the black haired young woman in question had been made well aware of when a less than pleased Clint had interrupted a sparring lesson with Natasha yesterday evening.

"Hm?"

The blond blinked at the reflection in the mirror that had appeared.

Kagome was just finishing adjusting her layered skirt of her navy blue evening gown, looking slightly disgruntled at the fabric that she was currently attempting to wrangle and not succeeding. Her regular raven locks had been swept up underneath a wig of blond curls styled elegantly to one side, and while she had been uneasy about all of this initially, she was taking it surprisingly well.

"You don't want to know." He muttered back.

Kagome smiled back at him, moving forward to pat his shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I can take care of myself and I have no doubt that you and Natasha will take care of what you need in no time at all. I'm your lookout, remember?"

She tilted her head to one side, still smiling, and something within Clint relaxed at it. Something about the damn woman had begun working on soothing his youkai self, and he still wasn't sure why or how, but he certainly wasn't dismissing it.

"That doesn't necessarily inspire confidence." He returned, earning a light cuff upside the head and an entirely undignified snort from Kagome.

"I tried." She shrugged, irritation crossing her features as she tripped over the hem of the dress. "And I can't wait to get out of this dress."

She vanished in a whirl of fabric and irritation back to her own room, no doubt. There wasn't exactly any room in the bathroom in the room with Natasha getting ready in there- as it turned out, two women in one bathroom didn't work so well. Funny, the things Clint was learning.

Natasha appeared from the bathroom a moment after that thought crossed his mind, all elegance and grace with her sleek, formfitting pale amber gown. Her trademark crimson curls were tucked under a honey blond wig that tumbled around her shoulders in loose waves.

"You look amazing." He hummed, drawing her into his arms and kissing her softly.

"You don't look bad, either." She replied with a quick grin. "I hardly recognize you."

"Hopefully you'll manage." Clint shrugged, kissing her again. She'd been relaxing back into her usual self over the last month, even allowing Kagome to see her in that much more natural state from time to time. A step forward for the redhead.

"I think I will." She nodded. "Is Kagome ready?"

"She went to do her hair. I think."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I'll go help. No doubt she has no idea how to put it all up."

"Alright. We'll leave in ten."

A hum of agreement and Clint was left alone to finish readying himself for the long evening ahead.

-;-

The party was large, full of high-class members of society, and completely out of Kagome's comfort zone. Which wasn't entirely surprising- Barton and Romanoff had both warned her of what it would be like to her, considering it was her first "mission" or "exam", depending on which of her mentors was asked.

Already, she had been asked to dance far more than she would like. Quite frankly, her feet ached from the uncomfortably high heels she had been forced into, and she wanted nothing more than to take them off and try to avoid the foot cramps she was sure to get later.

Unfortunately, that didn't look like it was going to be happening soon.

This mission had been handed to Barton through Sesshoumaru. The inu youkai wanted information on the ookami pack that had recently taken over Spain from the former alpha, and since he greatly disliked being on the short end of the stick, sent them out to sound out the group.

Kagome sighed, glancing down into her champagne flute and swirling the liquid around lazily. She had been warned not to eat or drink anything unless she was absolutely positive of its origins, and since she couldn't actually go and ensure that it wasn't tampered with, she was out of luck.

However, she wasn't simply just standing there. All of her senses were on alert, and her miko aura was carefully probing the immediate vicinity around her. She could sense the ookami in the room, but couldn't pinpoint which was where.

Hold on. That one was familiar…

"Kagome?"

"Kouga?"

The pair blinked at one another for a long moment before Kouga's face broke into a large grin and he approached the miko, lifting her up off the ground in a hug that crushed her chest.

"I thought I caught a miko scent. I didn't think it would be you, though." The ookami tilted his head to one side as he gently set the currently blond woman back on her feet. "I like what you've done with your hair."

"It's good to see you, Kouga." Kagome replied honestly, a smile of her own coming to her lips. "And I'm sure you would love to know why I'm here."

"I heard the story after you left. I didn't really believe it until now, though." The man shrugged easily.

"Surprise?" she offered.

Kouga chuckled. "Definitely. So, what brings you to my territory?"

"Your territory? You're the new alpha?"

"That's right! Me and my pack recently settled a treaty between us and the former alpha. Figured it was time to really settle down, mark out some space for us, you know?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama sent us here to see who the new alpha was. I wonder why he didn't know it was you?" Kagome wondered thoughtfully.

"Sesshoumaru's still around? I haven't seen him for a couple hundred years." Kouga blinked in surprise. "Then again, I didn't expect him to have died so young, so it makes sense."

"I don't know how he would react, but you could see if you could get into contact with him and flesh things out with whatever he wants." The dark haired woman suggested.

Kouga grinned, slinging an arm around the miko's shoulders before gesturing to a nearby waiter and getting a flute of champagne for himself. Discretely inhaling the scent, he nodded to Kagome and her own glass.

"Well, go on. It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh thank Kami." She sighed, tipping the flute back and nearly draining it. "These heels are killing me and I haven't got a clue where my mentors are."

"You mean the hawk and the assassin? They're somewhere over that way." Kouga gestured with his flute. "I managed to ditch them when I caught your scent."

"And that would be where you're wrong." Barton's familiar tone rumbled from next to Kagome. The dark haired woman blinked, barely glancing at her out the corner of her eye, before sighing.

"This is Kouga. The alpha you're looking for." She introduced. "Kouga, Barton and Romanoff."

The two men eyed one another up warily- no doubt the youkai in them both being the cause, while Natasha silently studied Kagome.

"Hn." Kouga nodded, breaking the stare. "You bear a striking resemblance to a youkai I once knew."

"Probably a relative." Clint replied neutrally.

"Oh, I have no doubt. Now that we've all be introduced, I believe I must take my leave. Give my regards to Sesshoumaru and tell him that I will be getting in touch sometime in the near future." Kouga nodded to the pair of spies before smiling at Kagome and departing.

"Well, that went better than expected." Clint hummed after he was certain the ookami was out of ear shot.

Kagome snorted.

"He's harmless for the most part. A little overeager in his affection, but otherwise loyal." She supplied. "I'm a little surprised that Sesshoumaru-sama didn't know that he was the alpha of this pack though."

"No doubt there's a reason why." Natasha spoke up, snagging a glass of wine from a tray that went by and delicately sipping from it. "Now that we are apparently done here, I believe we should be going. A call to Fury or Sesshoumaru may be in order."

"Agreed." Kagome groaned. "I never want to wear heels again."

"Done."

"Really?"

"No."

-;-

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

" _Miko."_

Kagome smiled slightly at the term- it was certainly a step up from the term "woman" all the time.

" _How is your training?"_

"Good, I think. Better than the first couple of weeks." She admitted. "However, I could have done without the interrogation techniques to attempt to get me to the point they wanted."

" _They do not know of your past?"_

She couldn't help the deadpan stare that she levelled at her alpha.

"I think they need to earn my trust a bit further before I even begin to try and explain the concept of time travel to them." She replied evenly.

" _Hn."_

"Anyway, that's not why I made the conference call. You and the Director apparently both had similar ideas in getting Barton and Romanoff to go to Spain. However, there is nothing for you to worry about- Kouga is the new alpha of the ookami pack there. He said that he would be getting into contact with you sometime in the near future."

" _The wolf."_

"Yes."

" _Hn."_

"I was the one who was elected to let you know. Barton is in the other room informing the Director of their findings for SHIELD." The miko tilted her head to one side slightly. "Otherwise I am sure he would be here speaking with you."

" _I see."_

"I think he may be called back to SHIELD soon. I hear that the Director has another assignment pending for both Natasha and him."

She looked troubled at the idea. Sesshoumaru couldn't help the instinctive need to alleviate the miko's unhappiness.

" _I will arrange something."_ He said.

She looked confused, but he had already ended the call with a short tap on the keyboard.

Sighing, exasperated, Kagome slumped back in her chair and shook her head.

Youkai.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy New Year everyone! I return to bring you this special edition update for all of you lovely readers! I was out of town for Christmas this year (last year?) and while I had access to wifi, I had no laptop. Alas, such tragedy.**

 **I think this will be the last or second last chapter before we get to the Avengers, depending on things and motivation, so I hope you all enjoy and continue to leave your thoughts for me in reviews!**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

 **-;-**

They weren't about to admit it, Kagome knew, but Clint and Natasha both didn't look happy about having to leave the miko behind as they readied themselves for their newest mission. Kagome wasn't about to say anything about it either, but the soft smile she wore on her face said it all. Sure, the pair were irritating in their own special ways, and Clint and Kagome got along like oil and water at times, but there was a genuine connection between the trio.

Of course, they had also managed to relocate themselves to a smaller, more personal building just outside the city limits. A three story home in a more rural area with trees surrounding the entire property, which was rather substantial no thanks to the sheer amount of money Kagome knew they had bought the place with. However, given that it was more suited to the places she knew, the miko wasn't about to start complaining now.

"Remember where all the weapons are and don't be afraid to shoot anyone who trespasses." Clint reminded as he pulled his bag over his shoulder. He and Kagome had something of a love/hate sort of relationship that neither could really explain, though Natasha looked amused about it whenever the pair began acting like three year olds. "We'll see you when we get back."

Kagome rolled her eyes but nodded anyway. "Yes, Clint." She replied dutifully. Of course, she wouldn't actually _need_ to use a gun should someone come looking for her, but she wasn't about to say so. Natasha, she felt, knew this, but Clint tended to forget the world that they hailed from.

"Watch your back." Natasha reminded curtly, her masks falling back into place as she readied herself for the mission.

Kagome nodded once.

With that, the pair left, the door closing softly behind them, leaving the dark haired woman alone in the suddenly very empty house.

 **-;-**

"Hi mama!"

" _Kagome! Hi honey!"_ her mother's smiling face replied, the screen in front of her clear. " _How are you!"_

Something relaxed in the miko's shoulders at the innocent question. It had been a couple of months since she had seen her mother, considering how quickly she had left for America once Sesshoumaru had shown up.

"As good as I can be, mama." She replied. "I'm learning a lot here. How are Souta and gramps?"

" _Oh, we're all good here, sweetie. The adventures Souta gets into these days- it's almost like you never left!"_ her mother laughed. " _Your grandfather is doing well too. He's been flirting with the lovely older woman down the road, you remember her? They've hit it off and I hear he's going to have dinner there tomorrow night."_

"That's good. Having something to distract him will be good for him, I think."

" _That's what I thought. Sesshoumaru-sama is making sure we're alright as well. Such a fascinating soul- did you know he owns business' all over the world?"_

The conversation continued easily, mother and daughter reconnecting and sharing information. Kagome, while relieved that she could speak to her mother, also felt that there was a slight change in the balance between them. Perhaps it was simply that Kagome was learning and becoming her own person away from home, or perhaps it was something else. She couldn't really put her finger on it though.

Finally, though, it was time to say good-bye.

"I love you mama."

" _I love you too, Kagome. Don't forget to come visit us soon, alright?"_

"I will." She promised, a smile on her lips as the call ended. Sighing, she leaned back in the chair, ignoring her homesickness. She couldn't bring herself to hate Sesshoumaru. She almost wished she could, what with him sending her to America, but that was more something the old Kagome would do. She had certainly been a hot tempered mess back then. And then she'd grown up. It was hard not to, what with fighting in a war in feudal Japan. Those kinds of things tended to make one mature pretty quickly.

"Not that it really changes anything." She muttered to the empty house, glancing at the clock. She could probably start cleaning the place- she could tell that while it was a well-cared for place, it hadn't been lived in for a while. Not to mention that it just didn't seem to make sense that either Clint or Natasha would clean the place if it was simply a safe house.

"Better get to it then." She hummed, getting up and moving over to the broom closet. There had to be something in there that would help her…

 **-;-**

"The…Tesseract, sir?"

Fury stared Clint down impassively, his remaining eye somehow managing to make it look three times more menacing than it would have been should he have both eyes.

 _Actually, it probably wouldn't be much better._ He thought in amusement, glancing over to Natasha from the corner of his eye. She looked as unimpressed as she always did, of course. _So not fair that she can just turn off her emotions. Even though it's not entirely her fault…_

"The Tesseract. You'll remain at the facility while research is conducted there, Barton. After all, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that we're not the only ones who know about its existence. And if that's the case, we need someone to keep an eye on it."

 _So a long term mission._ He thought, stomach sinking. _Damn. Hopefully Nat won't be on one too. Someone needs to look out for Kagome._

Honestly, he didn't even care that he was addressing the woman by her first name. At this point, she was well on her way to deserving it, given all that he and Nat had put her through. It couldn't be easy on her, either, what with being so far away from home.

…Not that he _cared_ , or anything.

His youkai side was definitely laughing at him now.

"And how long will the mission last, sir?"

"We don't know yet. You'll be briefed on everything else on route. Romanoff, stay behind. Barton, dismissed."

He just managed to resist sticking his tongue out at the man as he left.

Fury sighed and shook his head as the door closed behind the archer before focusing his gaze on Romanoff. She lifted one brow ever so slightly in response. Never challenging, oh no. Romanoff preferred to unnerve her prey first.

"I take it this prodigy you and Barton have taken on has completed his training."

"Is that so." She replied evenly. "Our…student…is completely capable of being left alone."

Well, it was worth a try, he thought, taking a seat behind his desk. Then again, he already knew that Romanoff wouldn't say anything. He might be a master spy, but when it came to fishing for information, Natasha Romanoff was locked up tighter than the royal jewels. It didn't mean he couldn't keep trying though. Perhaps one day it would actually work. Until that day, however, he was stuck in second place- something that he'd slowly been getting used to since Barton had brought her in.

"I see." He replied, interlocking his fingers and staring at her impassively. She returned the look tenfold. "I won't ask anything else, Romanoff, since it seems I'm not going to get a clear answer from you. If there's nothing else to offer, you're dismissed. Your assignment details are waiting for you in your ride."

A curt nod and Romanoff stood and left silently. Fury snorted to himself. Surrounded by spies and assassins, and one was sure to continue running in circles trying to find out what the hell was going on. Then again, he'd signed up for it when he took over the position as Director.

"Damn agents going to make me go grey." He muttered, considering poking through his drawer to find that flask he'd hidden there a couple months back.

 **-;-**

Clint Barton couldn't say that he particularly enjoyed his new assignment. Rather, most of the other agents on the facility grounds thought him strange, despite their odd sort of reverence that his codename held. No one had actually had the guts to say it within earshot, of course…but Hawkeye wasn't just any old human being.

Currently, he was perched up on the catwalk, carefully surveying the activity of the scientists below. Nothing interesting enough for him. This was hardly even a mission- the equivalent of a desk job was a more apt description. Outwardly, there was little reaction to the goings on around him, but inwardly, he was groaning in silent, bored agony. It was certainly a strange sensation- usually his Hawkeye persona was more composed than this. Calculating.

This new self he was discovering was not that person in the least. He was…emotional. Too focused on the things that didn't matter to the mission, no thanks to his youkai. _That_ particular side of himself was firmly focused on his "pack" of sorts. Flock? He didn't know anymore. Things had been confusing since the miko had shown up. Not that his youkai was really complaining, but it was sure making things difficult as an agent.

 _I wonder what Nat's doing?_ He wondered.


	8. Chapter 8

**I return! Thank you all for your support! Before I get started this chapter, I'd just like to reply to some stuff from last chapter.**

 **TamashinoSuzume:** Are Shippo and Kagome ever going to see each other?

 **Answer:** Funny, that… Last chapter actually had an extensive reunion between Kagome and Shippo, but it didn't fit into the chapter as a whole so it was scrapped. This chapter, however…well, you're going to have to read and find out!

 **Trinabear:** It wasn't really a question, but you wondered if Kagome will be meeting certain good looking gods who want her as their personal miko. While I do like that concept and it has been written before in the fandom and is an interesting plot, I don't think I will be going that route. I may play off that in later chapters, however!

 **Now that that's done, on with the chapter!**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

 **-;-**

It was a week later that Natasha returned to the house. Kagome was flipping through a book that she'd found in the library- or the collection of files and two, maybe three actual novels hidden in them.

The door clicked- her gaze flicked up and over to the redhead and the bandage wrapped around her throat and shoulder.

"I'm fine." Natasha said before Kagome could comment. "The inu called as well. He'll be here tomorrow to speak with you."

"About what?" Kagome wondered, closing the book and placing it on the table next to the loveseat she was curled in. "He didn't mention anything the last time I spoke with him."

Natasha shrugged, jaw tightening in discomfort.

"You're hurt." The miko continued, brows furrowing in concern. "Come here; I'll heal you."

Rather than arguing or ignoring her- the typical Natasha response- she came closer to the raven haired woman and stripped off the leather jacket she was wearing, revealing the v-neck shirt and the bandages around her torso.

Kagome sighed, positioning her hands and summoning her healing "bubble". It was something of a new ability that had developed since beginning her training in America, forcing her to concentrate her ability in something of an accelerated heal. Of course, it was still very flawed and took too much of her energy to completely heal an injury, but she could speed up the process thanks to her miko ability.

Natasha breathed out inaudibly, some of the tension visibly leaking out of her shoulders. Obviously, the injury had been bothering her more than she had let on, because she suddenly looked much healthier than she had a moment before.

"I know you and I are still getting to know the other." Kagome began softly, the pink glow from her fingers illuminating her face, "But I would like to think that you and I have the potential to be more than just an assassin forced into taking a miko under your wing."

There was silence for a long moment before Natasha very carefully pushed Kagome's hands away from her shoulder and took a seat even more carefully next to the dark haired woman.

"I don't know how to be anything other than an assassin." The redhead stated bluntly. "I can't be anything other than that because it is all I have known. Even now, with the life I began with Clint, I can't see myself as anything but as Black Widow."

"But I think you're trying." Kagome smiled.

Natasha blinked, startled, and stared at the miko. A moment later and a small smile of her own graced her features.

 **-;-**

"Aaaaalphaaaaa."

Sesshoumaru sighed, feeling his eye threatening to twitch. An hour of this and he could feel his carefully constructed levels of patience beginning to wane. Somehow, the pup had a way of worming his way through every defence the inu had carefully crafted. Something that irritated him to no end, considering his near perfect track record with every other associate in his rather long life.

"Hn."

Green eyes narrowed in contemplation across the space between them.

"No."

"You're no fun."

"You continue to tell this one so." He returned coolly, returning to his book.

Shippo huffed, ears pinning themselves back. He was already in something of a funk, considering that he had been told that he would need to keep his disguise in place while in public. Of course, this included the private jet that his ever powerful alpha happened to own and use consistently.

"Practice will continue to hone skill." He'd been told.

He sulked in his seat.

Sometimes being the pup was no fun.

 **-;-**

"Sir, something's going on with the Tesseract."

Clint cocked his head to one side in interest. Sure, he couldn't say that he particularly liked the damn thing- it was something unfamiliar to his youkai and made him uneasy. Hence the reason that he rarely ventured down from the catwalk. It was just high enough that he wasn't feeling so prickly, and it was just an added bonus that few people tried to interact with him. However, it was circumstances like this that he was here for. Namely, information on the thing he was here to babysit.

" _What exactly is going on."_

There was Fury. How fascinating.

"We…don't know, sir."

" _And how does that help me, agent? I don't have time for your complicated answers."_

"If I had to say something, I would say that it's misbehaving, sir? I can't accurately describe it without showing you the stats and energy readings we've been picking up off of it."

A heavy sigh. One that Clint had been on the receiving end of many a time in the past. The one that silently judged you and let you know that Fury thought that you were a complete and utter incompetent mess that was hardly worth being the bug that had been squished beneath his boot.

" _I'm on my way. Expect me in one day."_

Clint smirked. As much as he loved not being underneath Fury's thumb, sometimes it paid to be around when Fury was in his _Director-is-annoyed-and-you're-about-to-find-out-how-much_ mood.

 **-;-**

While there was a lot of things Kagome had gotten used to since coming to America, being woken up before she was up was something that had not been a common occurrence. So when there was a pressure applied to the edge of her bed, instinct took over.

She lunged, throwing her attacker back before straddling their neck with her thighs and choking, miko aura at her fingertips.

"Whoa, wait up!" the voice choked. "I haven't seen you in a couple hundred years and this is how you say hello mama?"

Her grip slackened.

"Shippo?"

"It's me. Now could you, uh, let go of my neck please? I like air." The voice replied, snapping the miko out of her half asleep daze.

She let go completely, going for the lamp next to her bed. Flicking it on, she watched the figure on her bed push himself back up into a sitting position, rubbing his neck with a rueful expression.

The years had been kind to Shippo. When Kagome had last seen her adopted son, he had been a kit. Now, however, he appeared to be well into his twenties. His hair was still long and in his eyes, his ears still pointed, and his tails…

"Your tails!" she breathed in pride before throwing herself at her son.

Shippo caught her gently in his arms and pulled her close, only partially surprised as his adopted mother's shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. And how could he blame her? The last time she had seen him had been in the feudal era, with him as a mere pup. Now he was in his prime, having grown up without her in his life. At having her so close, once again in her arms…well, it was something of an emotional experience for him, too.

"I missed you too, mama." He cooed gently, running his fingers through her hair comfortingly. Almost the same way that she had once done for him, long ago.

Kagome said nothing for a long while, instead grieving for the family that she had lost as well as the one that she was once again reunited with. When the sobs finally abated, she pulled back with a smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry." She muttered with a laugh. "It's just that it's a lot to take in."

"I know." The kitsune shrugged, making himself more comfortable as he crossed his legs in front of him. "Alpha didn't really want to talk to you- well, he did, but I'm the main reason he's here in the first place. He's got some business with another inu tribe on the other coast and he decided that you and I should catch up. Even the spider let us have some space, although I'm pretty sure she's only downstairs in the shooting range."

"Sesshoumaru-sama wanted to _surprise_ me?" Kagome blinked.

"It's kinda hard to believe at first, but he's a good alpha, mama." Shippo grinned. "He took care of me after you left back to your time- today. And I think he missed you, too. He's not as much of an emotionless bastard as _everyone_ thinks he is- just what _most_ people think of him."

"I still don't know what to make of him." Kagome shook her head. "He showed up out of nowhere, years after I returned back to the future, only to offer me a place in his pack. Our pack, I guess. Then, he pays my schooling, puts his protection on my family and sends me to America for training to become his heir in the youkai and human world. Why?"

Shippo hummed, tilting his head back for a moment, before shrugging.

"Honestly mama, even I don't know what goes on in his head all the time and I grew up with him as my alpha." The redheaded male admitted sheepishly. "Alpha has his own agenda and sometimes he'll tell you what's on it, sometimes he won't. Or most times he won't- it doesn't really matter in the end, does it?"

"It's just strange." She sighed. "I'm trying to get my head around it. Did he send me here to try and integrate with the rest of our pack, or is there something else I'm missing?"

"Mama, sometimes you overthink things too much." Shippo huffed. "Sometimes it's best not to question these things because all that's going to happen is a headache. Believe me, I know this from experience."

Kagome frowned, staring intently at the kitsune.

"When did you get so cheeky." She deadpanned.

"When Alpha took me in." he beamed back in return.

 **-;-**

The day that Shippo, Kagome and Natasha spent together was interesting, to say the least. Natasha had heard vague rumors and stories regarding Clint's pack-mate from Japan, and once introductions had officially been made she could tell the reasons why. However, there was something that was definitely charming about the male- he was sarcastic, cheeky, and overly comfortable in the space, despite it not being his own.

However, Natasha could see the obvious affection he held for Kagome, as well as the respect that he carried equally for Clint and Sesshoumaru. Because of that, she tolerated his antics while he and Kagome played catch-up. She, on the other hand, was still assessing the kitsune. Physicality had nothing to do with gauging a possible age with youkai- especially ones like Sesshoumaru and this "pup". Obviously not much of a pup as Kagome remembered him by, but still considered young in the eyes of the elder youkai and his adoptive mother.

She was still working him out when Sesshoumaru returned the next day to recollect the "insolent pup" and greet Kagome- which had been an event in its own right.

They were both still, with the inu raising a hand and placing it around the miko's throat and growling lowly in his throat. Kagome lifted her head slightly, silently accepting but challenging, before revealing what skin she could and relaxing her shoulders. This, combined with the satisfied glint in Sesshoumaru's eyes, told Natasha that this was definitely not the first time the miko had been in such a situation. But there had to be a reason why she wasn't sharing what she knew with her and Clint, and while there was a measure of respect between the trio, this encounter only served to raise more questions rather than answer those that the redhead already had formulated.

Yes, she was going to have to do some digging once the alpha left.

 **-;-**

Sesshoumaru finished his examination of the miko with slight satisfaction. She had responded appropriately as a member of his pack, considering her station. Despite having not been told where she currently stood, she had quietly challenged him in a way that stated _I am equal_ rather than _I am submissive,_ and then displayed her neck to him. This was satisfactory for now.

He glanced over to the assassin. Her features were neutral, but he knew enough about his pack by now to know that she didn't realize her own station with him, despite only meeting twice since Clint had found her. It was her that he approached next- a dangerous position for the both of them. Him, for the assumption that she and the hawk were mates- her, for her innate hatred of being submissive.

He paused directly in front of her, amber eyes staring her down even as she challenged him right back. Kagome watched with some astonishment at the interaction herself. She hadn't realized that Natasha was included in Sesshoumaru's pack. Judging by the look on the redhead's face, she hadn't completely realized it either.

And then he growled.

It was quiet, it was low, and it was definitely not a suggestion that the other female submit to him.

A low hiss came from Natasha in return. A challenge.

Sesshoumaru did not take insubordination well, and especially not from this whelp- no matter who's mate she was. It was for that reason that he reacted the way he did.

In a blur of motion no one could really keep up with, he slammed the redhead up against the wall, pinning her there firmly with one clawed hand around her neck. The glamour that surrounded the male was currently gone, revealing his tattoos that marked him as a member of the House of the West. The fingers around her throat displayed what he thought about Natasha's behaviour, and it wasn't anything good.

"Submit." He stated, voice frigid.

Natasha grunted as the grip tightened around her throat. She hadn't even seen him coming. Judging by his current expression, there wasn't a lot that she could do without losing her life in this situation. She narrowed her eyes while thinking on her very limited options.

Finally, very slowly, she tilted her head to one side.

Sesshoumaru growled again before leaning forward and pressing his nose to the skin. It was clear what he was doing to Shippo, who was standing to one side with an uncharacteristically solemn look on his handsome features. The spider had learned her lesson- now Sesshoumaru was ensuring that she remembered whose pack she belonged to. Of course, he couldn't entirely envy what was going to come next, but all members of the pack went through the same.

A single claw pricked the skin, a tiny amount of the familiar poison Kagome remembered from the feudal era seeping into the open wound. Every muscle in Natasha's body tensed as it entered the bloodstream. While it was true that Sesshoumaru's poison was deadly, a single drop was only enough to cause temporary paralysis as well as mark the victim as a member of the House of the West. His poison left a mark on the target that was similar to a scent- any youkai who encountered her would know that the woman belonged to a very powerful pack. Kagome had not yet been marked for the sole reason that once she was marked, she would be in danger. Those who knew of her position to him would seek her out to use her against him, and that was something that he was not willing to risk at this point in time.

"You belong to the pack of the House of the West." Sesshoumaru stated. "Your mate has taken the mark- now you join him."

"Sesshoumaru-sama-"

"Do not interfere, miko. This one is marking her as a member of our pack. All of the House of the West endure and survive." The inu interrupted, shifting his gaze to the petite woman. "She is under this one's protection and it is time she learns it, given that her mate has not seen it time to enlighten her himself."

"Alpha, it's almost time." Shippo said softly, entering the conversation for the first time. "The Director has another mission for her, and we need to get back to Japan for the meeting with the House of the North."

Sesshoumaru released the redheaded woman from his grip, supporting her as she very nearly collapsed into his arms. Despite his cool tone, he ensured she made it to the couch before replying to Shippo's remark.

"She will not leave until tomorrow." He stated. "And the meeting with the House of the North is not for several days. This one sees no point in leaving while she takes the mark."

"Yes, alpha." Shippo nodded, bowing slightly before grabbing Kagome and beginning to lead her from the room. Kagome didn't put up much of a fight until the door closed behind them, and then she turned on her son.

"What was that?" she demanded, pulling her arm away from the male.

"Alpha marked the spider as one of his own. As a member of the pack, Barton should have explained that all members of the pack of the House of the West eventually take Sesshoumaru's mark. Apparently, he didn't and now this happened." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And he didn't want to trouble you with anything right now, either. You aren't meant to take his mark until after he announces that you're his heir- _after_ you've been trained and can take care of yourself. We were going to tell you after all of this, but now…"

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Kagome asked quietly, absorbing the information Shippo was supplying.

"Yes, mama. The mark only leaves a small mark on the neck. I have one too."

He pulled aside his jacket, revealing a tiny dot on the side of the neck that looked more like a mole or a birthmark than a scar.

"It only causes discomfort, for the most part. The paralysis is what isn't so pleasant, but it wears off after a couple of hours. Sesshoumaru wants to smooth over what just happened, which is why he's putting off leaving immediately. An alpha looks after his pack, after all."

Kagome didn't really like the circumstances around this whole thing, but she did recognize that she didn't have anything to do with what had happened, so she let it go for now. Sighing, she nodded and allowed herself to relax. Worry would do nothing now when what was done was done.

"Let's go make dinner then. I'm sure by the time it's done they'll be hungry."

"I like that idea- what's for dinner?"

She swatted him as his face lit up.

"Cheeky pup." She muttered.

 **-;-**

A long, surprisingly civil night later and Natasha got the call from the Director to make sure that she was on route to her new mission. Sesshoumaru and Shippo both shared something of an amused glance to one another while the redhead shot silent daggers at their heads with her eyes alone. Kagome chose to ignore the events, instead making sure that Natasha was alright after her episode with Sesshoumaru earlier. Fortunately, the other woman was willing enough to nod curtly and touch the back of the miko's hand in reassurance before continuing on like nothing had happened in the first place.

While Kagome nodded off sometime around ten, the other three members of the pack stayed up and worked out some of the issues that had been caused earlier- mostly by sparring downstairs in the large training room. Shippo thought it was hilarious, and dodged around all of the redhead's attacks as if it were a game. Sesshoumaru, likewise, sparred, but didn't fully commit to the events. It was true that he was the alpha, but there was nothing wrong with putting some teaching into a lesson. Let the woman think what she liked when it was all over, but Sesshoumaru was the only one who would be able to hide her from the world should her supposed "Director" find her usefulness to his organization null and void.

They had just finished showering when Kagome woke, and once she joined them Shippo was well on his way to making breakfast and a healthy amount of tea.

"I wish you didn't have to leave." She mumbled, accepting a mug of steaming tea from her son.

"It's not forever, mama. You'll see us again soon enough." Shippo smiled, pecking his adoptive mother on the forehead before skillfully juggling the other mug of tea and depositing it into Sesshoumaru's waiting hands. "Besides, I think you'll keep yourself busy until Spider comes back."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." She sulked.

"You'll be fine." Natasha said from the table as she took a seat, alert as ever. "My mission will be complete by tomorrow morning and I will be home by midnight."

"Just like Cinderella, aren't you?" Shippo sighed dramatically, barking out a laugh as something that looked like a knife nearly embedded itself into his skull. His reflexes had been more than enough to get him to dodge the projectile.

"Enough." Sesshoumaru warned.

Shippo stuck his tongue out the moment the white haired man turned his back.

Kagome managed to not burst into tears as all the people in the small space readied themselves to leave, though it wasn't easy with all of the coddling the Shippo was lavishing upon her.

When silence finally fell upon the home and Kagome was left to her own thoughts, she quietly fell into something of a stupor for several hours until she got a call from Natasha on the phone that the redhead and Sesshoumaru had left behind for her.

"Hello?"

There was a long pause, though there was noise in the background. A train, maybe? Static- maybe somewhere with a poor connection or a purposeful sabotage in case the line was hacked.

" _Barton's been compromised."_

The phone hit the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for your continued reading! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside with your reviews and support. I know it's been a bit of slow going, but hopefully I'll be able to get working a little quicker now that I've got a better idea of what I'm doing with Kagome and her role in everything.**

 **So without further babble, I give you the next chapter of Fire Touched.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

 **-;-**

Natasha arrived looking far more composed than Kagome felt. Her red hair was brushed back from her face, and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a pleasant orange-red blouse with a leather jacket over top.

"What do you mean he's compromised." She demanded, feeling more than a little rattled.

Natasha shook her head once, Kagome's signal to stop talking. Inhaling deeply, she leaned against the kitchen counter, suddenly looking as tired as the miko had been expecting.

"I shouldn't be doing this." She said quietly. "But I need you in on this with me."

Kagome remained silent. She could sense the assassin's aura. It was bubbling, flickering with emotions that she didn't even know how to name. But she did know that given that Barton was her mate, it wasn't anything good that she was feeling.

"Fury put out the kill order on Clint." The redhead continued. "Given that we're down an archer and I just so happen to know one… I could bring you in as an asset to SHIELD. The only condition is that you need to be an assassin. Not a miko. Not our apprentice. If Fury suspects even for a moment that you are a vulnerability, or discovers your identity, you become a bargaining chip against the inu. If you can put aside your miko nature, we have a chance of saving Clint. I need you to stop him if I can't."

"You want me to stop him? As in kill him?" Kagome murmured in return, absorbing the information she'd been given.

"Not kill. Incapacitate, injure him enough to make him unable to continue, yes."

Kagome closed her eyes, thinking deeply even as she took in a deep breath. She needed to weigh her options here. On the one hand, if she did nothing, there was a chance that Clint would end up dead, leaving Natasha alone. Considering how close that the assassins were, it wasn't a good thought to dwell upon. On the other hand, if she took a step into their life, she was playing a dangerous game with fate. One that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be able to rescue her from should she fail.

She opened her eyes.

"Then I guess I'm about to become the archer you need."

-;-

The ride to SHIELD wasn't exactly comfortable. Natasha didn't want or need coddling, and with the added pressure of another person in the back of the jet with them, there was no conversation. Kagome knew that the man was curious about her- his glances directed at the side of her head every several minutes confirmed that idea.

"We'll be there soon."

It took a moment for the miko to realize that her mentor was speaking Japanese. Judging by the expression on the scruffy man's face, he didn't understand what was being said.

She nodded silently before tilting her head to one side slightly.

"Who's he?"

"The team I briefed you about. He's one of the members." The woman replied. "Despite the conflicting personalities, it's being put into effect because of everything that's happened."

Silence fell again, with no attempts to bring the rather obvious problem that was bothering both women to light.

Bruce Banner simply found himself even more confused than when he had first stepped onto the jet. Romanoff or whoever she was, stone-faced and unreadable. Her companion was slim, dark hair in a tight braid that trailed over her shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did they get you for?" he inquired, finally breaking the silence.

She blinked at him, face blank for a long moment, before quirking her lips and leaning forward, positioning her elbows on her knees as the quirk became an amused smirk.

"I'm here because I can." She replied, a faint accent in her tone. That said, she leaned back and refocused her attention on a place on the wall.

Inwardly, Kagome was coming to the realization that this was more than just a risk- it was potential suicide. By making herself known to SHIELD, she was putting her trainers, herself, and even Sesshoumaru at risk. Despite being under the inuyoukai's protection, there was only so much that could be done, and communicating with him at this point was signing a death warrant. SHIELD was a ruthless organization, no matter what they claimed to be. And the one thing she would not allow was to be found out. She had to save Clint, even if it had to be from himself.

-;-

With the arrival of the jet on some kind of surface, Banner was ushered off and out onto the sunlit deck of something, Natasha and Kagome following at a more sedate pace. Before they'd left the house, Natasha had reminded the miko of the hand signals and language that she and Clint had developed. These were the communications that they agreed to use with the other woman's presence.

 _I'll be back. Need to take care of Fury. Watch him, be calm._ The redhead signed before turning and heading in the opposite direction that Banner and Kagome were walking. The miko nodded back, lifting her chin and acting as though she belonged among the men and fighter jets.

-;-

Fury wasn't an easy man to sway, but given Black Widow's particular skill set, the Director was swayed within ten minutes of walking into the room. It hadn't been particularly easy to get him to agree, and it definitely hadn't been pretty, considering that the man believed that he was the one in charge of the organization and refused to listen to anyone who might have the upper hand on him. Eventually, however, he had come around. Kagome, codename Miko (the irony was not lost on her as she informed Fury of this) was now on board with the Avengers as a replacement archer.

"Now if you don't mind, Agent, you should get back on deck and welcome Doctor Banner to the team. From what I hear, Captain Rogers is also on the way in."

The warning was there- not a very obvious one, compared to some of the threats she'd been issued by the man before- but she nodded and kept her mouth shut. She'd already antagonized the man more than she had in a long time, and it was usually wise to avoid Fury once he was in this sort of mood.

"And Romanoff?"

She tilted her head slightly, her hand on the door.

"You had better hope this asset doesn't turn on us too."

She left the room, door closing quietly behind her.

-;-

The arrival of Natasha was a welcome sign to Kagome. She'd watched the door that the assassin had entered minutes before, her attention barely wavering from the point of focus. Every nerve in her body felt like it had been supercharged. This was a place that made her miko aura uneasy. It hadn't been clear for the first couple of minutes, but now that she was adjusting she knew that there was something very wrong with this place.

So when Natasha silently walked past with a quick flick of the wrist, she followed immediately.

 _What's wrong._

 _Something bad. Uneasy._ She signed back, keeping her features as neutral as possible.

 _And Banner?_

 _Fine. Overwhelmed._

The man had definitely not been in a place like this before. His behavior as he skittered out of the way of the people on the top of the ship (was it really a ship, Kagome wondered) provided a fairly clear picture of the way he had been living for the recent part of his life.

They continued right up to another jet that had just landed, Natasha's features schooling themselves as a man in a business suit and a pair of sunglasses stepped off, accompanied by another younger man who definitely didn't look like just any old person who had been swept off the street. He had a sense of nostalgia about him, Kagome noted. His clothing too, appeared as though it were from another time entirely.

"Agent Romanoff." The man stated. "Captain Rogers."

It was an introduction of some kind, Kagome realized as the older man's head turned slightly. She knew he was studying her, probably wondering where she had come from. She certainly didn't seem to be like someone who worked for SHIELD, she knew.

"Ma'am." The younger man nodded.

"Hi." Natasha returned, eyes sharp.

"And who's this." The older man continued a moment later.

"Miko." Natasha said for Kagome. "She's our replacement for Hawkeye."

The man's eyes narrowed through his sunglasses at her before flicking back to Natasha. Kagome suddenly had a moment of realization as she put two and two together. This was Natasha and Clint's handler- or former handler, Phil Coulson- depending on the situation. She hadn't actually been told whether or not that he was still keeping an eye on them during the briefing Natasha had given her.

"I see." Coulson said.

"They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face trace." Natasha changed topics.

"I'll see you there." Coulson said, pushing past Natasha and the newly introduced Captain Rogers.

"There's quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice." The redhead began, leading the way through the crowded deck, Kagome following a step behind the pair. "Thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

The look on the Captain's face was almost comical, given the situation.

"Trading cards."

"They're vintage. He's very proud."

The miko was definitely going to ask for that story later, she thought, a faint smile crossing her features.

The trio approached a slightly frazzled Doctor Banner, the man perhaps not looking overly excited to be in the position he was.

"Doctor Banner." Rogers greeted, holding his hand out to the other man as he very nearly stumbled away from one of the jets that was parked beside him.

"Uh yeah, hi. They told me you would be coming." The man replied warily, taking the proffered hand and shaking it.

"Word is you can find the cube."

"Is that the… _only_ word on me?"

The look on Banner's face as he said the words told a story of its own. Kagome blinked slowly, Natasha shaking her head as she signed _Later._

"Must be strange for you, all of this." The curly haired man said, gesturing vaguely to the organized chaos surrounding them. A group of soldiers jogged past, their officer barking out a rhythm. Kagome once again found herself a little lost. Was she the only one who had no idea what they were talking about?

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar." Rogers replied.

Natasha put her finger to her ear, and it was then that Kagome realized she'd put in an earpiece of some kind. No doubt she was getting some kind of communications with someone elsewhere on the giant metal… whatever it was. A moment later, she stepped up, catching the men's attention.

"Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe." She said coolly, giving them both a slightly amused glance. As if those words were some kind of trigger, the entire deck shuddered as a PA system crackled to life, orders being recited as a low rumble built up below them. Rogers and Banner approached the edge of the deck, their conversation turning to another direction.

"Is this a submarine?" Rogers asked.

"Really. They want me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" Banner retorted in grim amusement.

"Oh no, this is much worse." He chuckled darkly as what appeared to be wings appeared out of the ocean and took form around the large metal ship.

Kagome couldn't help but agree with that sentiment.


	10. Chapter 10

**And now, the show that all of you lovely people have been waiting for! Or maybe the one you weren't really expecting this chapter but I'm giving you anyway? I dunno.**

 **This chapter fought me a bit near the end- I hope you'll all forgive me?**

 **And while I'm thinking about it, I want to personally thank the reviewer known as JLoL for asking some very good questions that were brought up in the last chapter. And regarding Kagome's abilities as well as her cover:**

Kagome, while "undercover" I guess would be the closest term, is _not_ going to be a stone cold killer like Clint and Natasha are. Is she capable of killing? If she were put into such a position, yes. Would she be completely immune to it? No. I actually made sure to leave out that information while in the training scenes. Why? Because Kagome is, first and foremost, not that kind of person. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing your reaction in a couple of chapters, because I definitely have plans about that, as well as the other particular issue about her cover itself.

 **Now, on with the show!**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

Kagome sighed, looking herself in the mirror above the sinks in the little public bathroom. Whoever had said that she'd left this life in the feudal era obviously didn't know that the world seemed to have it in for her.

Natasha had dropped her a few blocks away from Loki's location, close to the lab that they suspected Clint was going to be attacking. After all, once they found Loki, the pieces of the puzzle weren't long behind.

Which had led her here, changing into a black cat suit that looked a lot like the one Natasha had been wearing, as well as a custom longbow that had been supplied to her via request. The redheaded assassin knew that Kagome had trained extensively with the longbow during her time with Clint. Most likely beforehand as well, considering her established preference for the weapon.

" _If I had to guess where he would be, it would be the left wing. If not there then he has to be with Loki. In any case, he's most likely in the area."_ Natasha's voice said in her ear. _"The lab itself is only three blocks from your location."_

"Got it." Kagome replied, pulling her hair back into a high tail.

" _And Miko…don't die."_

"Yeah." She smiled back. It was the closest thing she was going to get to a good-luck from the woman, as well as showing her concern despite the circumstances they found themselves in.

Sighing, Kagome shook the few remaining strands of hair out of her face, slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder, and dumped the change of clothes into the garbage before exiting the place, suddenly grateful that there were no people out at this time of the night. If there had been, they would have been greeted with the sight of a petite figure vaulting rooftops and climbing along the sides of buildings like a spider.

Kagome knew Natasha was on the comm, but her side was currently muted. Something she'd always seemed to enjoy more- silence. Even during her travels in the past, she'd relished the quiet. Then again, she had also been travelling with Inuyasha and Miroku…

She paused when the sign of the lab came into view. SHIELD agents had already been dispatched to the location as extra security, but there was only so much one could do when up against an armed and very compromised Hawkeye.

Being only a couple of buildings away, Kagome could tell that they had company when the faint sound of an arrow being loosed reached her ear. Tilting her head to one side, she frowned, carefully getting her own bow ready. There was a scope on it- helpful in this instance, she mused, drawing an arrow back and searching for the familiar head of dark blond hair.

Still making sure to cause as little noise as possible, Kagome leapt down onto the next roof, taking up the same position in hopes that she would catch a glimpse of Clint. He would have shot down the agents from a distance- too much risk in shooting while you're in their range. Adjusting her stance, she widened the search, and almost immediately found a glimpse of blond. She tracked it for a moment before ruthlessly stamping out her concern about the man and loosed the arrow. The second she did, she ducked down enough to still be able to see over the edge of the building, but hopefully not put herself in Clint's sights as an open target.

Being Hawkeye, however, she really should have known better. She knew she was in trouble when the three men Clint was with were gestured forward and he turned his gaze up at her. Dodging the arrow hadn't even been a problem for him.

Kagome glanced over at the edge of the roof, judging the distance between the edge and the ground. Before she could actually make a break for it, however, an arrow whistled by her face, almost close enough to clip her cheek. Barely stifling a noise of surprise, she decided to go for it. She only had a handful of seconds before the next arrow would clip her or he would climb up to the roof to get her.

 _Instincts instincts instinctsinstinctinstinct_ she mentally screamed as she freefell for a gut wrenching number of seconds, adrenaline flooding her systems as she twisted to avoid a trio of arrows that would have hit her in the chest otherwise. A moment later, the ground met her very solidly. All of the air left in her lungs left her, despite her attempts to distribute the force to her entire body. But there was no time for that kind of thinking now. Rolling to her feet, Kagome was only partially surprised to see Clint waiting for her at the opening of the alley she'd landed in. Chancing a glance behind her, she couldn't help the frustrated huff that left her at noting it was a dead end. If she wanted out, she was going to have to fight for it.

"I was really hoping it wasn't true." She whispered, adjusting her bow in a defensive position.

Clint watched her with a blank face- unnerving enough, considering that only a few days earlier he had been joking around with her as they ran through the obstacle course and sparred and made breakfast-

Her breath hitched as Clint lunged at her, managing to block the first and second blows before the third nailed her solidly in the jaw. Stars exploded behind her eyes as Kagome dropped to the ground, pain radiating through her entire body.

This had been a bad idea, she realized. A very, very bad idea.

She had no time to prepare herself before the larger and much more experienced man was again after her, landing a solid kick to her ribcage while she struggled back to her feet. Crying out, Kagome collapsed back to the ground, rolling to the side as an arrow appeared where her head had been. He was really aiming to kill her, she realized.

 _Use his weakness to your advantage._ A small voice in the back of her mind whispered.

Weakness? Clint didn't exactly have a weakness. Unless…

Kagome's gaze flicked to his left ankle. He'd told her about the story behind it- stepped on a bad support once on a mission and completely ripped the flesh and muscle to shreds. Even with all of the therapy, he still had a highly sensitive spot on the back of his ankle.

She flipped herself over, kicking out with her leg and connecting by some miracle with Clint's leg. He went down with a short grunt. It gave Kagome enough time to get back to her feet, though she was certainly not going to be moving very quickly with the additional pain from her ribs. It was all the time Clint needed to get back onto his own legs though, and he wasted no time in beginning his assault on the smaller woman. Considering how battered she already was, what with the continual blows that began bypassing her defense more and more frequently, it wasn't long before he had her pinned against the brick wall, the man's bow holding her there by the throat.

"How did he get to you?" she choked, pushing against the painful pressure on her neck weakly. Clint said nothing, but the amount of pressure increased marginally. Kagome sucked down a whine, instead silently asking for forgiveness for what she was about to do.

Then she released her miko aura.

Clint recoiled, a snarl on his face as the miko energy burned him. Given his youkai heritage, it wouldn't necessarily kill him at the level of power she was emitting now, but it _would_ hurt him.

For a moment, it almost looked like Clint's eyes changed colors before returning to a piercing blue. Another second later Kagome couldn't help the cry of pain as her mentor stabbed her leg with a hidden knife.

Her vision blurred as her grip against the bow faltered- a wheeze left her lungs as she went limp- and her hand ripped the black from herself and turned it back on Clint, slicing across his forearm and cheek before he backhanded her. This time her vision went black.

When it returned, he was gone.

She coughed, looking down at her leg, before wincing and trying to get back to her feet. A silent cry fell from her lips as the ground came up to meet her once again.

-;-

Kagome woke when a tight pressure made itself known in her thigh.

Hissing, she bolted upright, instinctively going for whatever was touching her. At making contact with something heavy that just so happened to yelp at her punch, she blinked, snapping out of it.

"Easy." Captain Rogers said carefully, rubbing the shoulder that she'd clipped.

"Sorry." She winced, ribs reminding her of what she'd been doing that evening. Now that she thought about it, it was a little hard to breathe.

"It looks like you've got a couple fractured ribs and a pretty nasty stab wound. Not to mention your jaw and your throat." The blond man told her, eyes surprisingly concerned for her welfare.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get into a brawl with a trained assassin." She muttered, realizing that there was a low pounding in the back of her head. "And I'd appreciate whoever is laughing to stop before I give them a reason to cry."

"Oh, the one with the pure soul has bite." A low, accented voice chuckled. At that, every hair on the back of Kagome's neck prickled. Her head twisted to see a dark haired man staring back at her, his eyes a piercing blue that contrasted the black and green clothing he wore. "But you are so much more than that, aren't you, priestess?"

Kagome couldn't help but stiffen. If he sensed that she wasn't just another human, she could be in very hot water very quickly. Especially while there were others listening in.

"Oh, but it does make sense." Loki's eyes glittered, a smirk curling his lips. "Tell me, priestess…does my presence not _excite_ you?"

Kagome felt her lips tighten into something that could have been a faint snarl, her eyes snapping over to Natasha to see the redhead signing back to her.

 _Don't attack. Don't deny. Never said you weren't._

"What are you talking about?" the other man, dressed in a red and bronze metal suit snapped, crossing his armored arms over his chest.

"Ah, so they don't know what you are." Loki nearly crooned. "Well, it would seem that I've let that little secret slip. Whatever will you do now?"

Cold fury seeped through Kagome's veins. This was the man who had turned Clint against them, the one who had started all of this, and the one who was doing a fantastic job of completely screwing her over. In fact, she didn't even realize that she was growling until Rogers' hand descended upon her shoulder.

Likewise, Loki's eyes had widened fractionally at the invisible wall of angry, roiling miko aura that was seething around the priestess before him. Something in his chest recoiled at the instinctive need to bow before the sheer force of it. He hadn't felt a power like this before in his lifetime- he had heard legends of the miko, the warrior priestess' that had been scattered throughout Midgard's history, but this was the first time that he had encountered it firsthand.

"One thing you should never do, Trickster, is anger one of _my_ kind." Kagome stated, her tone frigid. "You should be afraid of me, because I _will_ end you if I get the chance."

Despite the danger he was in, Loki couldn't help the curl of his lips as he gazed into the face of the priestess. Her conviction was strong, her fears few as his magic tentatively wrapped around her.

She would be so… _fun_ to break.

Kagome flinched as another presence invaded her space, and she felt herself straighten even as her miko aura flared warningly. She would only give him that chance to shut his mouth and discontinue the path he was treading.

The jet rocked, disrupting the confrontation playing out in front of the group. Captain Rogers still looked concerned about Kagome's movements, though there was something else in his gaze as well as his eyes flicked between the small woman and the god. The as of yet introduced man in armor had a calculating expression on his own features, while Natasha simply remained silent. Kagome could feel some kind of emotion as her aura was carefully pulled back under her control.

Silence fell for several long moments before the man in the armor turned to Kagome, who had adjusted herself so that she was putting as little pressure on her ribs as possible.

"So, he's Reindeer Games. Who are you?"

The flippant tone, while irritating, didn't warrant much more reaction that a deep inhale and exhale. That outburst had cost her more energy than she thought it would have. Then again, she had just had her ass handed to her in an alley, so it was fairly admirable that she was still able to breathe, let alone speak.

"They call me Miko." She hissed as the jet hit a patch of turbulence. Somehow she didn't remember fractured ribs being _this_ painful, and she had certainly had her fair share in the past.

"So I hear. Any other name, _Miko?"_

"And you are?" she ground out as the turbulence increased.

"Seriously?" the man asked, quirking a brow in surprise.

"Does it look like I'm joking? I just went up against Hawkeye. Believe me when I tell you that I can't get any more serious than I am right now." Kagome snapped back. Honestly, who was this guy?

"Tony Stark, at your service." He retorted, sarcasm thick in his tone.

"Lovely. Unless you can suddenly fix broken ribs, kindly _screw off."_

Something that might have been a chuckle came from the cuffed god sitting across the jet from here before said god held up his hands when Stark whirled on him. However, neither had the chance to begin another round of verbal warfare as lightning flashed ominously around the jet.

"What the…" Natasha muttered from the cockpit.

"What, you afraid of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Came the dry and slightly edgy tone.

Well, didn't _that_ inspire confidence.

Stark frowned as more lightning crackled around the jet, followed by a low rumble and a crack from above them that jerked the jet sharply into another bout of turbulence. Moving to the back of the jet, Stark pushed a button to lower the ramp. Before he could do anything else, however, a large, very armored figure dropped onto it. Kagome's miko aura screamed at her that there was _danger dangerdangerdangerdanger,_ and she couldn't move as Loki's lips curled-

And suddenly she was hitting the ramp at a speed that left her no time to alter her course, completely winding her as she suddenly found herself free falling through the sky.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in over five months, guys. I don't really have any excuse other than midterms and some seriously stressful stuff that prevented me from really working on this fic. Also the fact that now it is finals and I'm finally going to be finishing my diploma after two very long years.**

 **Mostly because I need to watch the movie while I'm working on the chapters, and I haven't had the time to do so. So in return I bring you a deep apology and a tentative promise that I will resume updating?**

 **I should also mention now that this chapter fought me long and hard for the beginning, so if there's anything weird feeling about it that would be why.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

"A priestess, brother? You would stoop so low as to attack one of the holy women?"

Thor, clad in crimson and nearly shimmering in fury, was not something that many men, immortal or no, would be able to face without fear. His long blond hair was almost alive with the electricity that hummed dangerously in the air around him, and save for the dark haired woman gently cradled in one arm, he made a most imposing image indeed.

"She is no priestess to me." The darker haired of the pair scoffed, arms crossed and gaze averted disdainfully. "I will not be cowed like a mere dog beneath her presence, unlike _you_."

Then again, Loki had been known to be the sole exception to that prior statement…

"Do you truly believe that subservience is the reason I treat her in such a manner?" Thor growled back, hand further fisting around Mjolnir. "If you cannot see my actions for what they are than you have fallen farther than I first thought, brother."

" _I am not your brother!"_ Loki roared as the skies rumbled above.

In Thor's hold, the dark haired woman stirred.

Kagome could immediately tell that there was something off about her situation. The air reeked of ozone, and there were voices that her fuzzy mind could only just hear. Every inch of her body was sore in some form or another- she wracked her mind in search of some kind of answer.

Her body shifted suddenly, reminding her very clearly of the danger she had been in however long before. The air whipping into her wounded body, her breathless scream of fear as the earth far below grew closer with each passing moment. And then being caught in large, gentle hands as she allowed her battered self to pass into unconsciousness.

While conscious now, she couldn't find the energy within her to pry open her eyes, teetering precariously on the edge of the welcoming warmth of unconsciousness as she only distantly registered the happenings around her.

"You will always be my brother, Loki." Thor rumbled darkly in return. "And it is time to end this game. Return the Tesseract and we can end this madness."

Loki laughed, throwing his head back and nearly cackling to the sky above.

"You know nothing of the power it wields." The darker haired finally spat at the larger blond.

Kagome registered being laid down on bulky stone and somehow managed to pry her resistant eyes open, the only thing standing out being the bright colors that the pair of gods wore.

"You listen well, Loki-" Thor began, only to be cut off as a blur of red and gold ploughed into him with the force of a train.

"I'm listening." Loki replied, his tone holding far too much amusement to it.

Despite the circumstances, despite everything, Kagome could have laughed at the mocking tone to Loki's voice. Instead, she allowed her tired eyes to close again, finally allowing her body to shut down in an attempt to conserve her strength.

-;-

Sesshoumaru was in the middle of a sparring match with the pup when he sensed it.

Blinking, fending off a rather skillful blow with his forearm, the inu tilted his head as if listening for something, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. However, after several moments the sensation had vanished, leaving the Lord of the West feeling mildly unsettled. Those… episodes… rarely occurred and when they did it rarely meant anything good.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Shippo paused, finally sensing what his guardian had, and cocked his head, scenting the air curiously.

"Hn." The white haired male frowned, brows furrowing faintly. "It is nothing, pup."

Shippo would have pressed the matter, but the centuries of learning from the inu had instilled into his mind that once Sesshoumaru used that tone, there would be no arguments. He could still remember quite vividly the first and only time he had questioned his guardian after he had used the tone.

Needless to say it had been a lesson that the kitsune would not be forgetting any time soon.

-;-

Natasha Romanoff was by far the most displeased of the group that had departed for Germany as they flew in the clouds towards the Helicarrier. After Stark had turned up- arrogant bastard- and Captain Rogers had assisted in re-capturing Loki with Thor, the assassin could only think about the miko. Kagome had been unconscious when they had touched down to herd the ragtag team back onto the small jet, and despite the field medical care she had received, she had not woken again in the last two hours of flight.

She was a little on edge, and it was becoming obvious the longer they were in the air.

"Agent Romanoff-" the other pilot began, only to be silenced by a look that could have impaled a lesser man.

"Don't." she warned, her tone clipped. With Stark in the back bickering with the Captain like a child, her worry for Clint and Kagome, and now the presence of _another_ Asgardian, she was about ready to kill someone.

At the moment, she was leaning towards Stark.

-;-

Nick Fury was not having a good day.

And when Nick Fury wasn't having a good day, no one was having a good day.

Agent Maria Hill in particular was feeling the brunt of the Director's particular brand of righteous fury- pun unintended- and likewise began distributing it out to the grunts in tech who had somehow managed to let Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, to escape their radar.

With the Avengers now unofficially assembled downstairs as well, it was no surprise that tension had never been higher.

And with their newest "asset" in the Medbay, a worried Black Widow at her side, and very little other structure going on, Maria should probably have seen the outcome that had been coming.

For example, an over-curious Tony Stark nearly blasting down her door to interrogate her about "Miko".

"It's none of your business, Stark." She stated flatly, barely glancing up from the newest mountain of paperwork Fury had only just dumped on her desk. "She is an asset and an ally, and that is all you need to know. Lord knows why you want to know in the first place, considering your lack of interest in the rest of your team."

Pausing, she leaned back in her seat to level a cool stare at the billionaire.

"She doesn't show up on any of my scans, that's why." Stark snapped back. "No history, no name, not even a picture!"

"Not everyone can be as famous as you." Maria replied dryly. Honestly, she half expected Stark to have a personal drone following him to update the world with what he was up to at all hours of the day. "And for your information, all you need to know is that she has been vetted for. That's it, end of story. Now get out of my office and back to your lab. I'm sure Doctor Banner will be wondering why you've suddenly graced him with the gift of silence."

Stark scowled at her, made a rude gesture with his hand, and departed from her office, muttering darkly under his breath.

Not for the first time, Maria was relieved that there was nothing on their system about Miko. From what she'd heard, if there was so much as a whiff of something, there would be hell to pay from someone that even Fury flinched at. Now, while she hadn't actually heard of or even met this person, she had a fairly good guess as to who it could be. After all, even Hawkeye respected someone, and his mysterious mentor had to be the one behind this one.

Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her nose, sensing a headache coming on.

-;-

Something was in his head with him.

Clint knew it, had known it since shit went sideways, but it was almost as if he were a bystander in the landscape of his own mind. Quite frankly, that thought scared the hell out of him for more reasons than one, but the most recent and largest had to be the absolute beat down he had given to Kagome. He had beat against the suffocating presence in his mind as he had watched himself attack the dark haired girl, almost kill her if it hadn't been for her quick thinking.

 _Note to self- definitely teach her how to take me down without unnecessary death._ He thought to himself- and wasn't that an odd thing, being able to have thoughts to himself whilst trapped in his corner of hell.

It was like being behind a glass wall- he could still see and register everything around him, but quite frankly, there was no escaping whatever Loki had done to him. He still wasn't certain. The closest he could possibly relate it to was put his body on autopilot while his mind was locked up tighter than who knows what. Even more than that, but he could still sense his "body". It was just a mental one instead of physical, considering that one was doing Loki's bidding like a good little puppy.

Ooh, and didn't that get his youkai blood boiling. Hawks bowed to _no one._ Especially not this spoiled alien prince who definitely had some major daddy issues.

He snarled as he realized that he had been walking to one of the stolen jets that he had managed to acquire with the assistance of some of the less bound agents of SHIELD. Not all of them were bad men, but they had certainly followed him blind when he'd all but shoved them into the Asgardian's lap like a prettily wrapped gift.

"Come on." He heard himself say. "We need to get Loki out of SHIELD."

He even sounded like a drone when he said it, Clint lamented, half wondering if he'd finally snapped with all of the isolation in his own mind. It was probable, he would admit. After all, aliens were a thing, though he'd known that since the whole Thor thing a couple years back. Still didn't hold any hard feelings toward the guy, either.

Loki, on the other hand…

If his body weren't brainwashed, he would be sticking an arrow in the bastard's eye instead of taking out the Helicarrier.

As the back of the jet closed and the engine rumbled as it warmed up, he couldn't help but think that he would rather have Sesshoumaru waiting by to somehow fix this than waiting on the Avengers- if that was even still a thing. Probably was, considering the way Fury tended to get all dramatic about it whenever it was brought up.

 _Nat, I could really use some help here._


	12. Chapter 12

**We're all headed down, down into the land of the Alternate Realityyyy~**

 **Yes, it is I, the terribly inconsistent author who remains invisible to those who desire new chapters. I apologize deeply for my absence. Lots has been happening. Mostly adulating. Terrible business, that. But I have returned long enough to deposit a new chapter on your laps because I love you guys that much.**

 **Summary:**

 **Sesshoumaru finds his pack-mate Kagome in the present and decides that she will never be vulnerable again. The logical choice? Ship her off to America to be trained by a descendent of a hawk youkai and his mate in the art of assassination. Joke's on you, Sesshoumaru- you weren't expecting Gods to attack New York and enslave her trainer's mind. Now she's got to get him back- by any means possible. Because as much of a bastard as he is, he is pack. Gods damn it.**

-;-

As Sesshoumaru had thought, it had not been "nothing" he had sensed. As soon as he had found an opportunity that the pup was off doing something to keep his mind busy, he got in touch with the spider. As he silently feared- and he would never in a million lifetimes admit that that was an emotion he could feel- something had happened to Kagome. Unfortunately, there was little he could do from where he was without drawing unwanted attention to himself, and so he could only draw a promise that the spider would not allow further harm to occur under her watch while the miko was recovering from her injuries.

And the hawk would definitely be having a long conversation with his alpha once he returned to Japan. That was something he would guarantee to be unpleasant, no matter whose influence his mind happened to be under. Though he supposed he had to give the hawk credit- he hadn't killed his pack-mate, despite the obvious influence from this third party. Some things seemed to be too strong even for his core values to be corrupted.

He had just finished his call with the spider when the pup returned from his errands, once again providing an often welcome distraction from the monotony of the day. Even the great and Noble House of the West needed an off day, after all.

"Everything okay, Alpha?" the kitsune inquired as he entered the room, a small bag tucked under one arm that was sure to include some form of food. "You have that look on your face again."

"Which look." He drawled, quirking a brow.

"The broody one. Y'know, the one when something doesn't really go your way, or when you're planning to eviscerate someone. You aren't planning on eviscerating anyone, right? It was kind of hard to explain that one last time to the diplomats." Shippo replied cheerfully, going about setting up their lunch as he had originally intended. "Besides, I just got back from that conference with Kouga. He just arrived in Japan. You have an appointment with him tomorrow morning at ten. And please try not to kill him, either. He's gotten better since the last time you two were in a room together."

"Hn." Sesshoumaru replied, accepting the cup of tea that was offered to him. "When did you become bossy, pup."

"Probably when I got my second tail. However I really think your influence is making it worse." The other male said with a grin and a wink.

"Hn." The white haired inu said again, taking a sip of his tea and suppressing the urge to smirk.

-;-

Despite everyone in the medical team attempting to keep the newest member of the Avengers from leaving the Med Bay, it was something of a losing war. Especially given that she and the Black Widow had teamed up. Within an hour of her waking, Miko had vanished from her bed and was wandering the corridors of the Helicarrier with the other female.

As to why-

"You and I are going to extract intel from Loki." The redhead said shortly in Japanese as the pair marched down the hall, the dark haired young woman noticeably limping next to her.

"How am I supposed to get anything out of him without killing him?" Kagome retorted. "He certainly seemed to have no qualms about trying it with me."

"He seems to respect you on some level. We can use that. Not to mention that he will think to manipulate us. We are women- inferior in his eyes. I've gathered that much by watching him." Natasha said shortly, brows furrowing slightly.

"You think he'll allow himself to be more open with us." Kagome narrowed her eyes in thought. "Should I be worried about him trying to use something against you? Us?"

"Most definitely. It's his play. He wants to cause unrest among us. It's that obvious and it has been this entire time. Now as to his endgame, I haven't been able to figure it out. Right now it seems like he just wanted something to use as a weapon, but now I'm not so sure."

Silence fell between them, their trip to the container Loki was being held in brief.

"So. They sent you." The silky voice drawled as they entered the large space, Loki's green and leather clad form standing in the middle of a very large container that appeared to be suspended above a door of some kind. "Oh, I know quite a bit about you two. The assassin and the pitiful excuse for a priestess. How quaint."

He turned on one heel smoothly, his eyes a sharp arctic blue. "I know quite a bit about you, Agent Romanova. Or is it Romanoff? Agent Barton's mind was never quite clear on that point. But you, little priestess, are something of an enigma. What I do know is that you are a lie. That and your precious mentors have been lying to you all this time."

"Cute." Kagome bit back, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking a hip. "Is there anything else you would like to inform me, or is that all you happen to have ready for us?"

"Red runs through her ledger, you pitiful creature. Both of your ledgers, I should say. No matter how badly you wish to cleanse yourselves of it, it will always be there, running off the pages and staining your fingers."

"Pretty poetry." Kagome drawled, her former feelings of rage and anger simmering beneath the surface of her skin. She was almost certain her miko aura was swelling around her. "Try something we don't know."

"Hn. I don't think so. Though you are most welcome to join me in here." The supposed god hummed. "I find it hard to believe that these quarters were prepared just for me, however. Tell me, who is it you're really trying to cage, Agents?"

Kagome and Natasha shot one another looks, realization setting in.

"You go find Doctor Banner. I'll stay here." Kagome shot off in Japanese. "My leg's not at one hundred percent."

"Fine." Natasha bit back, looking mildly displeased as she signed a quick, _Be careful._

 _I will. Be quick._

The assassin nodded before jogging off, taking the stairs a couple at a time as she got onto her earpiece to transmit the information.

"And now it is you and I, priestess." Loki chuckled, shaking his head. "Such a sad little creature. The blond oaf claiming to be my kin tells me that you are to be revered, worshipped even. And yet you are trapped in this form. Tiny, frail, and weak. Hardly worthy of the praise that is given to your kind."

"I could say the same about you." Kagome shot back. "You think you're a god when you're more like a child who hasn't gotten his way. What, did someone take away your toys when you were little? Make fun of you? How tragic."

For the briefest of moments, Loki's features twisted into something that could have been disgust before they were carefully rearranged into an arrogant sneer.

"Rather, you should pay attention more, priestess." He hissed. "One never knows when you will be knocked off of the pedestal you think yourself on."

Kagome frowned at the tone, something about it causing the warning bells in her head to begin ringing.

"Tell me, priestess, how is your family these days?" Loki bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to _happen_ to them?"

"You stay away from them." She hissed, stepping up so that she was nearly touching the glass of the container.

"Oh, I don't think so. You see, your Agent Barton knows far more about you than you think. All it took was a little touch here, and all I needed to know was given to me. Your family is dead thanks to you, little priestess, and there is _nothing_ that you can do."

-;-

Natasha walked into the middle of a verbal war between the men of the team and no one other than the Director. Regardless of the situation, she growled and let out a shrill whistle in an attempt to gain their attention, wondering how on earth she was supposed to survive this job without killing everyone in sight.

"Loki's after the Hulk." She said simply. "And he's going to make sure that it happens, one way or another."

"How do you know this." Thor demanded, taking a step forward, his features set into a scowl. "Loki is not in his right mind."

"You're right." Natasha agreed sharply. "He isn't. Regardless of that fact, this entire ship is in danger because of him, and we need to get Doctor Banner somewhere safe."

"Where? You seem to have rented out my room." The doctor drawled, sarcasm thick.

"It was only ever a precaution." Director Fury attempted to soothe.

And there it went again, this time Natasha getting dragged into the mess. In fact, if she were anyone else, she would not have noticed that the doctor was edging back towards the sceptre that Loki had had in his possession when they had captured him. It was only another nail in the coffin, in her eyes. Loki had somehow managed to get to the doctor, and if no one did anything, it was going to get much, much worse very quickly.

She opened her mouth, about to say something to Banner, when the entire ship lurched sharply to the right, a loud rumbling through the floor alerting all of them that something was very wrong.

Being the closest to Banner, Natasha was thrown back against the wall, the man doing the same as a hole opened up in the floor beneath them. Dropping, the pair found themselves landing heavily in one of the maintenance halls that ran throughout the Helicarrier, a heavy pipe landing on Natasha's leg and pinning her there.

"Banner?" she grunted, the wind knocked out of her lungs for a moment.

A low moan was her only answer.

Natasha silently cursed as she realized the position she was in. This was exactly the sort of situation that the man had been trying to avoid and now they were trapped down in a maintenance area that only a few people used these days.

"Hey, are you alright?" a couple of agents asked, causing the woman to growl and wave them away.

"Banner, are you alright?" she asked again, wriggling in an attempt to free herself. This was bad. Very bad. But she had had worse, and she would figure something out.

Another moan, this time lower.

 _Fuck._

-;-

Kagome wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, being thrown against the unforgiving metal of the room's walls, but when she managed to haul herself off of the floor Loki had somehow managed to free himself from the large container and was staring down at her with an amused smirk.

"My, my, how the tables have turned, little priestess." He chuckled, throwing knives appearing in his hands as he shook out his shoulders with ease. "Care to try your hand against me?"

Kagome growled as she pushed herself to her feet, her miko aura roiling around her.

 _Remember everything they've taught you._ She thought to herself as she moved forward, dodging the first thrown blade by turning her head to one side. _Remember that you can use everything around you to fight an opponent. There's no such thing as a fair fight._

This time she didn't allow herself to be careful like she had been with Clint. She went against Loki with a solid hit that was backed up by an infusion of her miko aura. It was enough to throw him off balance, and before he could gain his bearings again she bore down on him, this time with a wave of miko aura.

He snarled as it washed over him, half in pain and half in anger that she had managed to get the first blow. As she came after him again, this time with a fist, he caught the blow before it could land on him, rising to his feet smoothly and sneering.

"You should not have done that." He said smoothly before three hits all collided with her wounded leg, her stomach and finally her jaw. She reeled back, stunned, and he followed, his features dark.

"I underestimated you. Perhaps you will be of use to me after all." He said before everything went black.


End file.
